Watch more of our videos on Shots!
and live on Freeview channel 276

Jan Mottram, from Hartlepool, will be completing a sponsored skydive on Sunday, August 13, to raise money for the MSA Trust, which funds research and supports people suffering from multiple system atrophy (MSA).

MSA is a rare neurological disease with no known cause or cure affecting only 3,300 people across the UK.

Jan’s husband, 59-year-old Pete Mottram, was diagnosed with the illness in March 2022 just five years after receiving a diagnosis for cerebellar ataxia, which is a muscular disorder that affects balance, walking, hand coordination and speech, swallowing and eye movements.

Jan Mottram and her husband Pete Mottram.

Jan said: “This is a cruel disease and takes so much away from you.”

Jan, who is terrified of heights, said: “Pete wanted to do the skydive originally but no insurance company would cover him, so I said, ‘I’ll have to do it then’.”

She added: “I am totally horrified by heights but I am willing to do this to raise money for this vile disease because it is not funded.”

Pete has always been an active man, making his diagnosis with MSA even more difficult.

Jan said: “He loves anything like that. I think it would be something he would put on his bucket list actually.”

This is not the first time Jan has raised money for the MSA Trust.

In November 2022, she hosted a charity night fundraiser at Ye Olde Durhams Social Club, raising a total of £4,450.

This was then price matched by Mondelēz International, a company which owns the likes of Cadbury and Sour Patch Kids, which raised the total to £8,900.

Her daughter, Leanne Burlinson, also contributed to the cause, making MSA ribbons to sell where she raised an additional £550.

Jan said: “I just want to raise as much money as I can so hopefully one day they will find a cure.”

Jan has raised £170 so far for the skydive and hopes to raise at least £500 by the summer.

For more information on MSA and the MSA Trust, visit https://www.msatrust.org.uk/.

Donations to Jan’s skydive can be made at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/janice-mottram?.

Devoted Hartlepool wife takes to the sky in support of ill husband