A 20-year-old nursery worker from Basingstoke will be taking part in a tandem skydive in memory of her friend who died in a car accident last year. 

Madison King, who has a fear of heights and flying, will be making the 10,000 meter drop this summer on July 11. 

The money raised from the skydive will go towards Inclusion Hampshire, a charity which offers specialist educational support to young people with mental health and additional needs. 

Maddie said: “I wanted to do something that really challenged me to show just how important Luke was and what a special cause this is. 

“Luke was an amazing friend. He was kind and generous and always the person you would go to if you needed anything, he would do anything to help.” 

As previously reported in the Gazette, Luke Gething, 20, died in a car accident in which he and his friend Tom Price,22, hit a tree at almost 100mph on the B3404 in Winchester last April. 

The pair had consumed cocaine, vodka and beer before they borrowed a Ford Fiesta belonging to Luke’s girlfriend in the early hours of the morning. 

They were seen laughing moments before they were killed in the high-speed car crash on Alresford Road. 

Since then his family and friends have been working tirelessly to raise funds for the specialist education provider.

Luke attended Inclusion Hampshire for a number of years and saw his time there as making a big difference to his life. 

Maddie continued: “Luke always said how much Inclusion Hampshire had helped him so it only seems right that we would fundraise for them in his memory and help them to continue to support other young people”.

“It just feels very important to do something positive like helping the place that helped him so much, so they can continue to support people like Luke for years to come”.

There are two Inclusion Hampshire centres, one based in Chineham and one based in Hook that are available to young people in need.

The charity provides qualified teaching staff, counsellors, therapists, music creation and pastoral care tailored to meet the young people’s individual needs. 

Chief Executive Cheryl Edwards said: “This is an amazing thing Maddie is doing. Luke was a wonderful young man and he is really missed by the learners and tutors at Inclusion Hampshire”. 

“We are honoured that Maddie has chosen to raise money for us in memory of Luke and wish her the best of luck for the big jump!”

If you would like to donate to Maddie’s skydive then please visit her GoFundMe page at https://bit.ly/2TrLFhL. 

For more information and to find out how access services provided by Inclusion Hampshire visit www.inclusionhampshire.org.uk/.