FRIENDS and family members of a popular Oswestry binman are taking to the skies for a parachute jump in his memory.

A group of six people took on the challenge in aid of Hope House Children's Hospice in tribute to Mark Woodliff, known as Woody, who died nearly two years ago.

Family members Adrian Woodliff, Aidan Vickers and Georgia Wright, along with three of Woody’s close friends have raised more than £2,000 in their Wings for Woody skydive at the Tilstock Airfield in Whitchurch.

The group was finally able to complete the jump on Saturday, after two scheduled dates had to be cancelled because of bad weather.

Diane Woodliff, Woody's mother, said that she was pleased to see the skydive go ahead in memory of her son, who the family "loved to bits".

She said: “It’s a good thing to do in his memory and it’s nice to know how much people appreciated him.

“He was really popular; the kids all loved him and miss him so much as well as older people too.

“We all miss him and his smile.”

Other than the skydive, Woody’s family have held other events in his memory, including a football tournament and Woody’s Osfest, with all proceeds going to Hope House Hospice.

Friends and family have helped with the fundraising, and Diane hopes that they are able to continue doing so.

She said: “It’s a nice thing to keep going and it will be nice to see how much has been raised for him.

“I’d like to thank everyone who he worked with at Veolia for their support and the money raised.

“I know they all miss him there and they still have his picture up in the canteen.”

Lynsey Kilvert, Hope House area fundraiser for Shropshire and Powys, spoke of how grateful Hope House is to all involved with the event.

She said: “Taking to the skies to remember Mark who was so special to them all is an incredible tribute to him.

“We here cannot thank Adrian and the guys enough for taking on such a challenge to enable us to continue supporting the children and the families that we do.

“Every week three local families face their biggest fear through the death of their child.

“Sadly, Hope House can only afford to support one of these families.

“Thanks to the support of amazing people like Adey and his friends, Hope House will do everything they can to ensure that no one suffers the death of a child alone.”