Rustington man skydives for Worthing hospice after it helped him 'climb out of a black hole'

Dave Ackroyd wanted to give something back for the end-of-life care his wife, Karen, received at the hospice and the ongoing help he has had at St Barnabas House bereavement support groups.

It was through one of these groups that Dave met his new love, Sally Rose, whose partner Tony Goldman also received end-of-life care at St Barnabas.

Sally was there to support Dave all the way with his skydiving challenge and said: "I’m so proud of him and I’m sure Karen and Tony were smiling down on him, too.”

Dave raised £2,050 for the hospice and is now thinking about wing walking, as things are looking up since he met Sally at the bereavement support group.

Sally said: "Tragically, we had both lost the loves of our lives to cancer. We both thought that after their passing, life couldn’t go on, that we were the only people who had ever mourned the loss of a loved one.

"We thought we would never climb out of the black holes that permanently engulfed us. However, St Barnabas threw us both a lifeline when they told us about the hospice’s bereavement support group.

"Joining at separate times, we both attended full of trepidation about how the evening would go. We were surprised to find that we enjoyed it and met lots of people like us, who had lost loved ones and who, in time, became genuine friends.”

It was not until three years later that Sally and Dave met at an extended support group. “We didn’t actually talk for some time but when we did, we clicked and the rest, as they say, is history,” said Sally.

“Nobody will ever replace Karen or Tony but we know the heart is a big organ that can hold different feelings for different people.

"Grief and loss are the most horrible emotions you will feel in your life – they never completely go away. However, thanks to the bereavement group, we have made true friends, found laughter again and found each other.”