Ref. 30883-74CHERYL Smith overcame her fears and leapt out of an aeroplane in memory of her father-in-law Arthur, a paratrooper during the D-Day landings.

The 45-year-old had planned to do the parachute jump alongside him but Arthur, known to friends as Digger, died of cancer at the age of 80 in December.

She has raised £800 in sponsorship for the Prospect Hospice in Wroughton.

Cheryl, who is a teaching assistant at Liden School, said: "I felt really close to dad while I was up in the plane because I was doing it for him.

"It was like he pushed me out of the plane because that bit was the scariest.

"But it was fantastic and I would do it all again."

She wanted to thank everyone who had sponsored her, along with Tony Ellis from the Parachute Regiment Association who helped her organise the jump at South Cerney.

Arthur helped capture German strongholds at Arnhem at the end of the Second World War.

His family believe he was a hero until the end of his life because he bore his final illness with such courage and dignity.

They only found out he had cancer five days before he died.

His wife of 53 years, Joyce, who had been suffering from emphysema, had died earlier that year.

The couple had six children, 11 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.