A chef at a hospital in Woking has completed a skydive and raised more than £1,500 for people living with dementia.

Giles Spencer, 53, the head chef at Cygnet Hospital Woking, which provides mental health services for men and women, undertook the daring skydiving challenge after witnessing the devastating effects of dementia on close family and friends.

He decided to raise money for Dementia UK, a specialist charity that provides life-changing care for families affected by all forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.

Giles said: “Skydiving has long been on my bucket list, but my motivation came earlier this year when dementia affected the lives of my close friends' families. My Auntie already suffers from early-onset dementia, and my wife Nikki’s mum has two forms of it.

“This gave me the push I needed to make it happen. I persuaded my brother to join me, and together we managed to raise £1,500 with everyone’s generous donations.

“Every three minutes someone in the UK develops dementia. Today, there are around 944,000 people living with dementia. Every penny raised from this challenge will help Dementia UK provide specialist nurses to support them and their families.”

Despite the excitement of the day, Giles found the reality of jumping out of the plane to be daunting, but he was determined to complete the challenge.

He added: “The day itself was amazing, from the upbeat drive to Salisbury, the training and build-up during the morning, to getting all the gear on.

“The hardest part was up in the plane; first, watching the door open and seeing others slide out before me, then sitting on the edge, basically dangling 13,500ft in the air, is not an experience I’ll forget and not sure I’ll repeat.

“I’d definitely like to do another charity event, but most likely on the ground next time.”