MEMORIES of a much-loved colleague, and of the care he received while battling cancer, have inspired a Clydebank teacher to agree to jump out of a plane to raise cash for charity.

Mark Hunter, curricular leader of science at Clydebank High School, is preparing to take part in a breathtaking skydive to help raise £100,000 for the Beatson Cancer Charity’s West of Scotland Cancer Centre.

His skydive is part of Clydebank High’s ongoing efforts to raise money for the Beatson in memory of Dr Graham Simpson, a chemistry teacher at the school who lost his life to cancer in December 2019.

The care Graham received from the Beatson in the months before he died prompted the school to launch a series of fund-raising initiatives to help the charity.

Mark said: “Our school community has adopted the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre as our main focus for fund-raising, and this is my contribution.

“I visited Graham many times in the Beatson. He raved about the support he received, both physically and emotionally. It’s a hugely inspirational place and deserves our support.

“I’ve known a few work colleagues throughout the years that I have had the privilege of visiting at the Beatson and they raved about the emotional support, and the physical support as well.”

Graham, known to his colleagues and pupils as ‘The Doc’, had taught at Clydebank High since 2001 and was also a member of the school’s pastoral care team.

He was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in November 2017.

Four months after his death, the school donated £36,730.82 to the Beatson – the highest amount ever raised for the charity by a single school – after holding three ‘Santa Dash’ fund-raisers, the last of them just days after Graham died.

Mark, a former infantry soldier who served in the war in Iraq, will be part of a team of 20 skydivers who are calling themselves the ‘Beatson Ballbusters’.

The group also includes actors Jordan Young and James Mackenzie and the Beatson Cancer Charity’s director of philanthropy, Ian Murray.

The money they raise will be used to provide inpatients and outpatients at the centre, located at Gartnavel Hospital in Glasgow, with wellbeing support, including therapy to relieve stress and support recovery, and one-to-one support with patients’ employers during their cancer treatment.

Jordan, who has starred in the BBC’s Scot Squad and River City series, said: “I am supporting the Beatson Cancer charity because I have had friends who have been treated by them, I know first-hand how amazing their work is.

“I’ll be fund-raising by posting videos, pictures and updates talking about my genuine fear in the hopes people donate."

The jump is scheduled for Saturday, September 4, and will take place above Skydive St Andrews in Glenrothes, Fife.

You can make a donation to the team’s efforts online at justgiv ing.com/campaign/beatson ballbusters2021.