MATALAN staff Zoe Hinchcliffe and Lynsey Boden have raised £1,500 with a leap into the wide blue yonder.

The women took the plunge from 10,000 feet to raise money for the NSPCC and Alder Hey Hospital.

The charity tandem skydive took place at Tilstock Airfield in Whitchurch at 7.30pm.

“It was scary but exciting, and I could feel the adrenaline pumping – it was an amazing thing to do,” said Lynsey, from Northwich, who works in customer services at Matalan in Northwich.

“The jump took three minutes, and we dropped 3,000 metres before the parachute was opened. I was thinking, pull the parachute now – it was very fast.

“We jumped over countryside, and it was sunny and clear. After the parachute opened we did turns and spins and looked around – it was really nice. We would both like to do it again.”

Zoe, from Moulton, is the ladieswear manager at the store, where customers can still donate for a few more weeks.

Lynsey was delighted at the amount they have raised, as their original target was £500 each.

“We would like to thank everyone who has supported us, including family and friends, work colleagues and customers,” she said.

One of the reasons the women chose to support Alder Hey Hospital was the care it gave last year to one of Lynsey’s nephews.