The John Maxwell Menzies (JMM) Community Fund was originally created by the Menzies family to encourage employees to participate in charitable, voluntary and community related activities either on an individual basis or as part of a team.

The fund has contributed many thousands of pounds over the years and was delighted to sponsor Jo Sinclair, Customer Operations Manager at London Heathrow who recently took to the skies for a sponsored skydive to raise money for Breast Cancer Now.

Jo shares why she was fundraising for Breast Cancer Now, “I decided to do the jump when I received some tragic news that a young colleague of ours had lost her battle with cancer and passed away. I have always wanted to do a tandem skydive and this was the push I needed as ‘life is too short’.

“I am fortunate, if that is the right word, that I survived breast cancer. I was diagnosed in May 2020 and my treatments, 2 separate rounds of chemo each lasting 6 months as well as 2 surgeries and radiotherapy, took me over 18 months. I was given the all-clear in February 2021. Breast Cancer Now was the obvious choice for a charity.”

Due to weather conditions, the skydive was postponed three times before finally going ahead on Friday 2 June and it was worth the wait. Jo said, “I have finally done it! What an amazing experience. All adrenaline and no nerves. The 30-second freefall at 125 mph was over in a heartbeat and before I knew it I was drifting in the parachute. It was an amazing day and I booked to go again as soon as I landed. I have raised £2,200 and I am so grateful for the contribution from the JMM Fund!”

If you would like to support Jo's fundraising, you can donate at her JustGiving page.

How to apply to the JMM Fund

• You can apply individually or as a team by scanning the QR code or using this form.

• Once we receive your application, we’ll get in touch if we have any questions or need more information.
• There may be some organisations that we can’t support due to the fund rules or conflicts of interests. You can find the fund rules on the intranet or contact your line manager for a copy. You can also get in touch with: charities@menziesaviation.com for help.