THE head of a charity appeal to transform treatment for blood cancer sufferers is to plunge 10,000ft out of an aeroplane.

Red and White Appeal chairman, Richard Brazier, is leading by example with a skydive in a bid to boost the charity’s funding total, which has recently passed the £1m mark.

The challenge is part of the charity’s Appeal Day on March 9.

Mr Brazier, of Dores Lane, Braishfield, will be free falling at 120mph in a tandem skydive at Old Sarum airfield on March 10, and is hoping other brave members of the public will be inspired to jump with him, or arange their own less hair-raising fund-raising events.

The 60-year-old said: “My seven-year-old grandson told me he wasn’t quite sure that I ought to be doing it.

“But I wanted to try it once at least and I thought ‘Yes, I’ll give it a go’.”

The appeal, which is raising funds to build a new specialist treatment unit for patients with leukaemia and other blood disorders at Southampton General Hospital, has raised around £1.1m so far and the charity hopes to reach the revised £1.76m target before the end of 2012.

Mr Brazier has lived in Braishfield for the past 30 years and is chairman of its village hall committee The father-of-three and grandfather-of-two, who runs family property company, Brazier Properties Ltd, is part of the Brazier building family in Southampton, which goes back seven generations.

He agreed to get involved with Red and White as someone close to him had suffered blood cancer “We all regrettably have experience in some shape or form of cancer,” he said.

“Sometimes, people want to stand up and do something about it.”

Mr Brazier has led the charity for more than three years and said like most charities it had been a struggle over that time to raise funds due to the tough economic climate.

March 9’s appeal day will include collections in West Quay Shopping Centre and Above Bar in Southampton, but the charity is hoping the public will also come up with their own fundraisers.

The original planned cost of £2.2million for the project was reduced to £1.76m after design was adapted to make better use of exisiting space within the hospital.

There are slots for more sponsored skydives on March 8 and March 10. Anyone interested in doing their bit, in whatever way, should call 023 8079 8881 or email suzie.simmons@uhs.nhs.uk .