THE sky’s the limit for one daring headteacher, who went the extra mile to help his school smash their fundraising target.

Every year, pupils and staff from Wellington School, in Timperley, go out of their way to raise money for their chosen charity, which this year was Teenage Cancer Trust.

Inspired by the story of Wellington Sixth Former Laura McDonagh, who has recently benefitted from the services of the trust, 1,300 students took to the streets of Altrincham and Timperley in February, raising a record amount of almost £40,000.

Determined to raise even more money, headteacher Stuart Beeley plucked up the courage to do a skydive with North West Skydive in Lancaster.

Stuart, whose bravery added £2,300 to the total, said: “Year after year our students, parents and the local community dig deep to make this event a success so I felt like I should also go that extra mile. Quite how that extra mile turned out to be hurtling towards earth at 130mph is another story.”

The annual sponsored walk is the biggest single charity fundraising event in Wellington School’s calendar and has raised over £300,000 for local charities during its 19 year history.

This year’s £41,000 fundraising total is a record for the school.

Sabina Ruta, Teenage Cancer Trust Regional Fundraiser, said: “It has been a privilege to be part of Wellington’s fantastic fundraising efforts. Staff and students alike have become engaged and passionate about Teenage Cancer Trust. Every penny raised from the walk will help us to support teenagers and young adults facing a diagnosis of cancer. We have come so far in our mission to help young people suffering from this devastating disease. There is, however, still much more to do and for every young person we help, there is another we can’t, which is why we are so very grateful to everyone who was involved in the Wellington School walk.”