Marie Curie appointed official Charity of iFLY Manchester

15 May 2019

Written by: Lynn Partridge - Community Fundraiser at Marie Curie

“This would be a fantastic charity partner” was my first thought when I visited iFLY Manchester in February 2019.

It was our regional team meeting, and the general manager Luca Montagnese had been kind enough to offer us Manchester’s large conference room for free in support of Marie Curie. In addition to this, at the end of our meeting, our North West fundraising team were invited to experience the sensation of Indoor Skydiving themselves! It was an exhilarating end to our team meeting, and something I would strongly recommend to anyone looking for a staff event.

During our lunch break, I took the opportunity to have a chat with the iFLY Manchester Sales Manager Abbey Barnes, about how we might work more closely together, and Abbey enthusiastically discussed the wide array of options iFLY have to support local charities. I was told about iFLY’s new fundraising packages, and how these all-abilities, challenge-based achievements had been put in place specifically to benefit charities looking for fundraising ideas, with iFLY making a significant donation themselves from each fundraising package booked. The idea of taking part in an ‘Air marathon’ to raise money over a traditional running marathon was certainly appealing to me! 

iFLY is also keen to work with charities to promote the inclusivity aspect of Indoor Skydiving; to dispel the misconceptions about who can do it. I myself was surprised to hear that, aside from a dislocated shoulder, virtually anyone of any age or ability can enjoy this thrilling experience!

However, we at Marie Curie also wanted to look at how we could run specific fundraising events with iFLY, and as we discussed all the different ways iFLY could provide this, we struck upon the idea of an official partnership.

Therefore, as of 15th May 2019, Marie Curie is delighted to announce its appointment as the official charity of iFLY Manchester.

We will be running quarterly fundraising events and awareness days with iFLY as part of our commitment to support people living with any terminal illness including cancer, motor neurone disease, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, heart failure, COPD and any other illness. Our mission is to help people and their families living with a terminal illness make the most of the time they have together by delivering expert care, emotional support, research and guidance.

We look forward to realising this through our partnership with iFLY, and raising funds through the possibilities of indoor skydiving.

 For further information on Marie Curie,  please visit: https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/