A WORCESTER man will spend his first Father’s Day without the grandad he says was the “perfect father figure” and his “best friend” by doing a skydive in aid of St Richard’s Hospice.
Matt Hiam says his grandad, Rodney Chance, raised him from a young age and will forever be remembered as his dad. Rodney died last Christmas and chose St Richard’s as his charity of choice.
Matt said: “The skydive will take place on the weekend of Father’s Day in memory of the most incredible man in my life.
“My grandad brought me up from a very young age, and any memory of my childhood, he’s always there. He raised me like his son and will forever be known as my dad.
“We did everything together. When I got married, I asked him to be my best man, and it was an honour to have him by my side that day.
“He will be missed more than he could ever possibly imagine, and I wanted to raise some money towards his charity of choice, St Richard’s Hospice.
“I’m looking forward to it. It will be a very emotional day, and the family will be there. It would make him extremely proud.
“Ever since I can remember, we never left each other without doing our special handshake and we’ll high five again in the sky.
“See you in the sky, champ.”
To support Matt, visit www.justgiving.com/page/skydive2026.
September places are now available for anyone who would like to do a skydive in aid of St Richard’s. Visit www.strichards.org.uk/event for more information.
St Richard’s Hospice is an independent charity offering free, expert care for adults with an illness that cannot be cured, and support for their loved ones and carers.
Each year the hospice team supports more than 3,000 patients, family members and bereaved people in Worcestershire.
It will cost in the region of £12m to run the hospice this year, which includes patient care and all the necessary support services.
St Richard’s relies on voluntary support, including from donations, gifts in Wills, retail and events for the majority of its income with the remainder funded by the NHS.