A BRAVE mum is set to face her fears and take part in a skydive for a good cause that is close to her heart.

Mother-of-four Nicky Holmes will be taking part in a superhero tandem skydive, 15,000ft up, today to raise money for the Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) Trust.

Nicky, who is 39 and lives in Fox Lane, Oakley, decided to confront her fear of heights and take on the challenge after her father, Alfie Preston, was diagnosed with the neurological disorder last May, aged 66.

The terminal disorder affects nerve cells in the brain and can result in problems with movement, balance and bodily functions.

Nicky was first told that her father had Parkinson’s disease over two years ago after one of his hands started to shake, but as his condition deteriorated, doctors said that Alfie, who currently lives in a nursing home in Ealing, London, was suffering with MSA.

Nicky told The Gazette that she was “terrified”, adding: “I am trying to raise awareness and to raise funds for the MSA Trust.

“Until May last year, we thought my dad just had Parkinson’s, but he was getting worse and worse and they changed his diagnosis to MSA, which is terminal.

“Last May, he could walk with help, talk quite clearly and move his arms, but now he is pretty much paralysed.”

She continued: “He is my superhero, and to be faced with what he is facing, is hard.

“The one thing that keeps me going is being proactive, doing things for him and raising awareness. If I sat back, I would fall to pieces, and I have to keep fighting for him.”

To donate to Nicky’s fundraising campaign, visit justgiving.com/Nicky-Holmes1.