TWO Craven dads have taken on a daring 11,000 feet skydive to raise funds for a Skipton children’s charity close to their heart.

Daryl Swales, of Sutton-in-Craven, and Jamie Parkin, of Cowling, took to the skies to raise £2,190 for SELFA – a charity that has supported their families with specialist residential trips, holiday clubs and activities.

Daryl, whose six-year-old stepdaughter, Chloe, has autism, said: “SELFA has helped and supported us a lot over the years.

"Through them, we've met other families in a similar situation to ourselves.

"Although conditions like autism are becoming more widely understood by the community, you sometimes feel isolated and feel people don’t understand. With the help of SELFA, we feel she is understood and have seen her confidence blossom. They’ve helped her believe in herself as much as we do, and that is priceless.”

Jamie, whose six-year-old daughter, Charlotte, also has autism, added: “SELFA holiday clubs have been a fantastic support mechanism for our daughter over the years, helping her to learn new experiences and meet other children in a caring, supportive environment.

"SELFA has the tools to understand her needs and repeatedly goes the extra mile to make sure her life skills and confidence grow. Our family met the Swales’ through a SELFA-organised camping weekend more than three years ago, and a friendship was born. It was an easy decision to support SELFA by doing the tandem skydive, and we would happily do another one for them.”