Fearless leaders of the 1st Sid Vale Scout Group are preparing to plummet 15,000 feet over Dunkeswell in a skydive to raise money for a new HQ.

Chris Parkyn, Chris Hodgson, Phil Colins, Karl Thomas and Lorna Cambers will take to the skies on September 28 – and plan to tackle the challenge dressed as superheroes.

Scout leader Chris Hodgson said the idea came about when he and his colleagues were discussing activities for his 50th birthday.

“We decided we’d do this, and thought it would be a good opportunity to raise money for the scouts as well,” he said. “Three of us have done it before so it isn’t a new experience, but two haven’t – they’re looking forward to it though!

“We’ve set a target of £5,000, but if we can raise a substantial part of that we’ll be happy.”

Money raised from the jump will go towards funding a new premises at the Salcombe Recreational Field.

The £200,000 effort, which is the subject of a Herald campaign, is designed to help secure the group’s future, and chairman Gareth Hughes said that work was scheduled to begin later this year.

He added: “The skydive is all part of a big jigsaw of fundraising efforts.

“What’s fantastic is that the money we’ve raised is coming in from a number of different sources, and it’s great to see that the leaders are being proactive.

“Throwing themselves out of a plane should hopefully capture people’s imagination!”

Donations to the group can be made online at https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/chrishodgson2