STAFF at The Botanist in Knutsford are to leap into the great blue yonder from 15,000 feet.

Cherie Donaldson, Lisa Presho, Grace Roberts and Chris Monk are to take on the skydiving challenge over an airfield in Nottingham on September 17.

The tandem skydives will be raising money for good causes, and are among numerous fundraisers being staged by the King Street restaurant.

Cherie is assistant general manager at The Botanist, and is doing the skydive to raise money and awareness for The Stroke Association.

She said: “This charity is close to my heart because in 2014 my mum Sharon had a stroke, and we received a lot of support from The Stroke Association.

“She is now on the road to recovery but still has a long way to go. This is a great charity that needs more funding to continue to keep helping stroke patients.”

Joining Cherie for the skydive will be in-store trainer Grace Roberts, head bartender Lisa Presho and chef Chris Monk, who are raising money respectively for the Tim Bacon Foundation, Parkinson’s UK and Barnardo’s.

Lucy Broadhurst, a server at the restaurant, took part in the Three Peaks Challenge this week to raise money for Parkinson’s UK.

She said: “Parkinson’s UK has been a charity close to my heart since my best friend’s mother, Tracy, was diagnosed with the disease when she was just 50.

“There is no cure for Parkinson’s, and living with Parkinson's or with someone who has the disease is very challenging.”

Between the five fundraisers they have so far raised more than £1,600 through online donation pages, and a further £800 has been raised from events at the restaurant.

Money was raised by a quiz, musical bingo and Industry Games, and the funds will be boosted by a dog walk around Tatton Park on Sunday, September 22.

The event will start at the restaurant at midday, before returning to The Botanist for complimentary Paw-Star Martinis and nibbles.

It costs £6 to enter a dog, and for more details email knutsford@thebotanist.uk.com or call 01565 750459.

The restaurant will be adding £1 to customers’ bills per table this month to boost the total. Customers are asked to let their server know if they would prefer not to contribute.