ST Clare Hospice Chaplain, Ann Kosla, from Chigwell, is braving the skies on Saturday 30^th October, raising more than £1,000 for St Clare Hospice as part of the Hospice’s Halloween Sky Dive. 

When Ann Kosla agreed to take on a skydive for St Clare Hospice she may not have thought it through! Ann who lives in Chigwell, and joined St Clare as the Chaplain at the beginning of last year is not a thrill seeker and is hoping she is brave enough to open her eyes as she jumps out of the plane a 13,000 feet.

“When I went on a rollercoaster ride with my daughter I closed my eyes and missed most of the experience,” admits Ann. “I really hope I can keep them open for this, despite my fears, as I think seeing the world below your feet will be inspiring. I’m delighted to be raising money for St Clare Hospice as I find the care, empathy and understanding of the teams for each and every person just wonderful.” 

Ann’s role at St Clare Hospice is to support patients and families with their spiritual needs, which can mean speaking to them herself, or working with local faith leaders to find someone who can support them. 

“Since I have been Chaplain at St Clare I have found that it is when you are at your most vulnerable, when you are facing death, that you often start grappling with the issues around your life choices, questions about what is there after death. Questions that you have been too busy to think about when you were well.

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“Here at St Clare, we are there to support your physical, emotional, and spiritual journey and I am delighted to have raised over £1,000 so far to help the teams continue to care in the holistic way that they do.

“When I get frightened about the prospect of the skydive, I think to myself, ‘well you’re never going to do it again, so just make the most of the view’. I hope I come down to earth like a dove rather than shrieking like a seagull!”

It costs £8,000 a day to run the free specialist services St Clare Hospice delivered across West Essex and East Herts. To sponsor Ann, and help her raise as much as she can, visit Ann’s fundraising page.  

For more information about St Clare Hospice’s range of daring challenges, including the Halloween Sky Dive, visit: stclarehospice.org.uk/challenges or contact Dani De’Ath via email: [email protected]