Grandson braves 10,000ft skydive to support Grandfather's MND Diagnosis

A Shrewsbury man with a fear of heights has braved a 10,000ft skydive to raise money for the MND Association after his grandfather was diagnosed with the disease.

Torsten Warner, 29, from Shrewsbury who works for Muller took the adrenalin-filled leap over the countryside of Salisbury at GoSkydive last month.

Torsten, who fears heights, braved 10,000ft to raise money for the MND Association following his grandfather, Anthony Warner was diagnosed with the disease.

He said ‘My Grandad has always played a massive part in my life and is a huge role model for me. To watch him go through this awful disease breaks my heart. I wanted to raise money to help make a difference or possibly find a cure in the future.’

Torsten originally set his fundraising target at £500 but smashed his target before taking to the skies. He said: "Never in my life would I have thought I could Skydive! Once I was on the plane I didn’t really have a choice, crazy really we just had to jump. I’m lost for words, it was unbelievable.

"I’m also amazed with how much I have raised; I can’t quite believe it! A massive thank you to everyone who has donated and supported me along the way, they are all amazing people."

On the ground, the Warner family have also taken on other challenges to raise money for the MND Association. Sally Warner, Torsten’s mum and Anthony’s daughter walked and cycled throughout August as part of the MND Association’s Mission 5000 challenge. The challenge involved families pledging miles to add up 5000 miles across the country to cover one mile for every person in the UK who is currently affected by MND. Sally and Torsten’s two sisters helped raise £200 and pledged more than 100 miles for those affected by Motor Neurone Disease.  

Motor neurone disease (MND) is a fatal rapidly progressing disease that affects the brain and spinal cord, attacking the nerves that control movement so muscles no longer work. It kills a third of people within a year and more than half within two years of diagnosis.

It’s a devastating disease that affects up to 5,000 adults in the UK at any one time and kills six people every day. There is no cure.

The MND Association focuses on improving access to care, research and campaigning for those people living with or affected by MND in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Denise Davies, Head of Community Fundraising at the MND Association, said: “Without the amazing support of people like Torsten and his whole family the MND Association simply would not be able to provide its vital support services, fund research to find a cure and campaign and raise awareness of MND. Together we are making a real difference for people affected by this devastating disease.”

For more information about MND and the MND Association please visit www.mndassociation.org