THE effort to raise money for the new Herefordshire headquarters of Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) is starting to gain momentum.

Fund-raisers, Lottie Hobbs and Lorraine Jenkins have taken a giant leap for man - and horse - kind.

The pair hurled themselves from a plane at 12,000ft, all in the name of charity. Lottie raised more than £230 for RDA which will go towards building the group's new home at Wharton Bank.

"I decided to jump for the Herefordshire Riding for the Disabled as my mother taught there for seven years and its does wonderful work with children and adults," she explained.

"The prospect of moving to a new centre is brilliant news" Although nerves crept in as the pair got into their parachuting gear and the plane climbed for 20 minutes until it reached the jump height, Lottie said doing the leap was worth it.

"The 30-second freefall was amazing and I got a complete adrenaline rush," she enthused.

"The hardest thing was trying to breathe while falling at 120mph. As we floated down to a gentle landing I couldn't stop smiling and was very pleased I had passed my challenge."

Lorraine was jumping to raise money for St Michael's Hospice.

The St Owen's Centre, which sends students for therapy at RDA, has been contributing to the cause by making horseshoe plaques which sponsors can buy with a small monthly donation. The plaques will display the name of the sponsor at the new centre and 22 have already been snapped up.

St Owen's Centre recognises the therapeutic benefits, both physical and sensory offered by contact with horses.

"Our students gain enormously in many ways, including communication, trust, balance and mobility," said St Owens project leader Iris Crean.

"We wanted to make a positive contribution to the exciting new centre at Wharton Bank and raised £110 by holding a table-top sale.

"We have also bought our own horseshoe as part of the RDA's appeal."

Anyone who would like to support the appeal can call Chirria Killingbeck on 01295 770198.