A CARE home worker has completed a skydive to help better the residents' lives.

Stef Pinchback joined Brackenlea in Shawford last year and immediately began looking for new ways to promote independence.

She decided to turn part of the conservatory into a shop – but needed to raise the money herself.

A month or two later, she was plummeting through the sky in aid of the nursing home.

She said: "Beverley the registered manger and Deanne thought it was a crazy idea but was fully supportive and wanted to help me achieve my goal. I booked the sky dive so I couldn’t back out.

"My aim was to give the residents a fully functioning shop with a fully working lamppost and letter box with red brick wall paper on the outside and a shop they can enter and choose their own essential shopping items also selling extra item such as perfume, make up, hair brushes, sweets and chocolate.

"I had some group chats about what the residents would like to have in the shop to be able to buy and I wanted to make sure I met their wishes.

"The shop give the residents that feeling of importance and giving them independence. I made ration books for each resident to bring along to shop with them that’s worked really well."

The skydive was recorded on Facebook live and donations reached £1,000.

Residents are now able to use the shop and Stef said it has been a great success.

She added: "It was lovely to have my managers, my husband and girls my parents and my best friends watch me and the residents families watching it live."

"Throughout the build of the shop the maintenance guy Marik was great and very patient with my ideas. I wanted to help with the progress of the shop so I wallpapered the brick wallpaper and the inside of the shop and helped buy all the building materials."

Stef plans to walk Mount Snowdon next year to raise money and build a small bar.