FERNE Animal Sanctuary is flying high after a fundraising boost from a daredevil volunteer.

Beth Hillard was part of a six-strong team of animal enthusiasts who took part in a skydive to raise money for the Chard-based charity.

She raised more than £500 with a sponsored tandem skydive from 15,000ft at Dunkeswell last month and has said she may have caught the bug for the big jump.

Beth works as a receptionist at the South Petherton branch of the Minster Veterinary Surgery, as well as volunteering as a dog walker once a week for Ferne.

She said: “I knew that there were some people who said they were going to try it, so I decided to give it a go.

“I have been volunteering there for about a year.

“I thought I would only raise a couple of hundred pounds.”

In fact, Beth went on to raise £516.63, and said she would like to take make the jump again.

Ferne Animal Sanctuary is kept going by its team of more than 100 volunteers, with jobs including walking dogs, caring for cats and helping with horses.

Many of the centre’s animals are brought in and cared for before being found the right home.

Not all of the sanctuary’s animals are rehomed and those that are always find a place near to Chard so Ferne’s teams can be on hand to help then when needed.

Some animals are kept at Ferne because they have complex medical needs and others, such as rabbits, stay at the sanctuary as they will receive the best care and most space to roam there.

The Chard-based charity’s current fundraising project sees them hoping to build a new home for the site’s swans in case there is a bird flu outbreak and the swans need to be kept inside.

The charity is also planning to embark on a large project to build new dog kennels on land which has been reclaimed from a stagnant lake.

To donate to the sanctuary or for more information call 01460 65214, or visit the Ferne website at www.ferneanimalsanctuary.org, or email info@ferneanimalsanctuary.org.