Newark landlady to complete skydive at Langar raising money for Duchenne UK

The landlady of a Newark pub will be taking to the sky to raise money for a charity close to her heart.

Emma Ferguson, landlady of The Watermill, Millgate, will be taking on a tandem skydive to raise money for Duchenne UK ­— funding research for a condition that has affected her family.

Her cousin’s son Theo has been diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a progressive genetic condition causing all the muscles in the body to gradually weaken.

Emma said: “We had never had any sign of it in the family ­— it came completely out of the blue. It was such a shock.

“They have done some charity events to fundraise, and I felt like I needed to do something. Despite the fact that I live miles away we are quite a close family.”

She is hoping to raise £300 to £500 with the skydive, which will take place on August 4 at Langar Airfield, and you can donate to the cause here.

“I’m extremely nervous ­as I’m not great with heights,” Emma said. “But I like to challenge myself and I thought it would be a good thing to do.”

Duchenne is the most common and severe form of muscular dystrophy and almost always affects boys.

It causes muscles to be weakened and easily damaged ­— eventually affecting all the muscles in the body, including the heart and lungs.