Leighton Buzzard man's weight loss challenge ahead of skydive for Keech Hospice Care

A determined Leighton Buzzard man has been on a mission to lose weight and take on a 15,000ft skydive in the name of Keech Hospice Care.

Matt Wood, 40, will be falling through the clouds on October 5 after shedding over one stone in order to meet the weight requirements for the jump.

The daring father-of-two has always had the challenge on his bucket list, and knew that if he had an important reason to jump, then he'd have to lose the pounds.

Matt told the LBO: "My best friend Helen is an end of life nurse for children at Keech Hospice Care and she has been through a lot over the last couple of years.

"I've also seen the other side, as my friend Scarlet's son was terminally ill with Niemann-Pick disease, and they went to Keech.

"I thought, let's do it for them. That's why I wanted the sponsorship - I didn't want to let them down and it would motivate me to lose weight.

"Keech needs the money."

Matt would previously snack on food "without really thinking" about what he put into his body, with particular favourites being chocolate, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, and Kettle chips.

However, he has now turned his diet around, enjoying a munch on much healthier items, including protein bars, tzatziki, nuts, and carrots with a little hummus.

He's also cut out pasta and alcohol, and made simple switches, such as eating brown instead of white bread and having just one coffee each day - and lots of water - instead of five to seven coffees. But it's not always been easy.

Matt said: "During the first week I was a non-sleeping, comatose mess! Not being able to have anything I wanted was really hard. I went to a wedding and everyone was drinking - I drove them home, and I was picking the breaded bits off the chicken during the dinner.

"I couldn't go to the bar for a beer and then a huge cake - a tower of cheese - came out!"

Luckily, Matt's abstinence from naughty nibbles has paid off and he has lost one stone, three pounds, dropping from 15 stone 4 lbs to 14 stone 1lb.

He laughed: "I can wear slim fit jeans now! My wife says 'Who's this husband of mine suddenly transformed?'

To achieve his target, Matt has also taken up running three times a week, slowly upping the distances and mixing in sprints and jogs.

His transformation has taken place in a matter of weeks, having started in late August ready to jump on September 21.

However, when the date was pushed back to October 5, Matt decided to change his fundraising target from £500 to £750 - and his total currently stands at an impressive £1,050.

Talking about his skydive and encouraging people to support the hospice, Matt said: "I'm feeling nervous now. The weight loss was one target, and the sponsorship was another - I've hit both of those, so now I'm thinking about the jump, and thinking ah I'm actually going to do it!

"Keech give extra care for families in their hour of need and I've seen it both from the caring side, and from the final stage of life.

"At the end of the day you never know when you might need them and perhaps we take these services for granted a little bit."

Matt works for Alexander & Co estate agents, Aylesbury, and would like to give a special mention to their Dunstable branch, which has over the years raised in the region of £16-17,000 for Keech Hospice Care.

The determined dad will be travelling to Hinton Airfield for his challenge and is supported by his wife Jay, and his two daughters, Niamh, eight, and Iris, five.

He would also like to say a special thank you to his friends Helen Spence and Scarlet James for their support and to everyone who has donated.

To donate, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/matt-wood15000