A 17-year-old from Bury is set to tackle a 15,000 ft skydive in Lancaster to raise money for a local animal sanctuary.
Dylan Spensley, who works as a canine care associate at Farm Cottage Boarding, Tottington, will make the leap tomorrow (24th May 2026) at Black Knights Skydiving Centre in Cockerham.
He hopes to raise at least £1000 for Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary in Ramsbottom.
While the idea initially began as a bucket-list item for the teenager to cross off, Dylan soon realised that the activity also had potential to raise money for a deserving cause.
He said: “I think there’s no better way to do something like this.
“Bleakholt do the best they can for every animal they take in, and they have all sorts of animals there, anything you can think of.”
Though admittedly anxious about the plunge tomorrow, Dylan is avoiding jitters by focusing his attention on how the donation will positively impact the animal sanctuary.
He said: “I’m very nervous, but it’s going towards a good cause so I don’t mind, it’s definitely worth doing.
“I didn’t even think we’d get £500 so I’m really happy with the £900 we’ve raised so far.”
A spokesperson for Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary said: “We are overwhelmed by Dylan’s skydive and all Farm Cottage has done for Bleakholt.
“Dylan is very brave, and is going over and above to help our animals. We are so grateful to him and all at Farm Cottage, and we wish Dylan the best of luck.”
Farm Cottage Boarding has a strong affiliation with Bleakholt, with the luxury dog hotel having donated over £6000 to the charity so far this year.
Previous fundraisers have included a staff sleep-out in the dog hotel in February, and a dog show in April.
Co-owners Alice Holt, 49, and William Brown, 55, both described how proud they are of Dylan for the skydive, as well as their positive relationship with Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary.
Ms Holt said: “It’s a really good thing Dylan’s doing, and we enjoy working in partnership with Bleakholt.
“All rescue dogs need a second chance, and Bleakholt gives them just that.”
Mr Brown said: “Dylan’s genuinely great with the dogs, and this is something which is close to our hearts.
“Alice has had dogs from Bleakholt before, so raising money for them is something we’ve been interested in since coming into this line of work.”
Dylan Spensley’s fundraising page can be found here.