A father-of-two has pledged to raise £12,121.2p on a year-long fund-raiser in memory of his courageous mother who lost her battle with cancer on 12/12/12.

Eastern Daily Press: Simon McKinna who is hoping to raise £12,121.2 in memory of his mum who died of cancer. Pictured in his Sydney the dog outfitSimon McKinna who is hoping to raise £12,121.2 in memory of his mum who died of cancer. Pictured in his Sydney the dog outfit (Image: Archant)

Simon McKinna, who has already raised more than £3,000, is calling on people to sign up for his next fund-raising venture where he hopes to break the Guinness World Record for the most number of tandem skydives in 24 hours at Beccles Airfield.

Mr McKinna's mum Marcia was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2009, and passed away three years later at the age of 65 after the cancer spread to her throat. She ran the airfield at Ellough with her husband Rainer Forster.

Mr McKinna is fund-raising for Medical Detection Dogs – a charity which trains specialist dogs to detect the smell of human diseases, including cancer.

He said: 'It was a charity my mum and I had spoken about because their work is pretty astonishing and my mum was very interested in it.

'When my mum was diagnosed they tried every different type of treatment out there including a ground-breaking treatment called photodynamic therapy which she had to travel down to London for.

'It was a very tough time for mum and the family but she always had a smile on her face.'

Mr McKinna, a former Sir John Leman High School pupil, has already held a white collar boxing match in Norwich which raised £1,000, as well as receiving two £500 donations from friends who gave up alcohol for a month and ran the London Marathon.

He has also taken part in the 5km park run at Blicking Hall and the Bungay Half Marathon, both of which he completed dressed as a giant dog.

The dog suit, which has been nicknamed Sydney – one of his mother's middle names – will also be making an appearance when he completes two treadmill runs at Tesco in Sprowston and at a shopping centre in Norwich.

The skydive fund-raiser is being staged on June 20, and Mr McKinna needs to get 252 people to sign up in order to beat the current world record. Jumpers will be falling from 15,000 feet and need to raise £280 each to cover the cost of the skydive and a donation.

The skydive will be followed by a Med Dog Rock night at EPIC Studios in Norwich on July 19, with music from five bands and three comedians, and the fund-raising will be rounded off in September with an autumn black tie ball at Sprowston Manor.

For more information about all the fund-raisers and how to get tickets visit www.mckinna.co.uk. Anyone interested in taking part in the skydive can call Mr McKinna on 07906207524 or UK Parachuting on 01502 476131.