A WOMAN with a fear of heights has jumped out of a plane to raise cash for a Dudley animal charity.

Terrified Tiffany Parkes decided to face her phobia head on to show her support for Raven's Rescue.

The tattooist, who lives in Dudley, said she was inspired to take the plunge after watching comedian Romesh Ranganathan skydive on his BBC show, Asian Provocateur.

She said: "He is really scared of heights but he did it when no-one thought he would and he loved it.

"I've wanted to do something for charity for a while but I thought it would have to be something out of the ordinary.

"I'm terrified of heights so I thought if I did something that people knew was a big thing for me then they would sponsor me a bit more."

Tiffany took the plunge on March 17, with UK Parachuting Sibson, based in Suffolk.

She said: "I felt sick on the way to the jump but once I got there and saw the team that work there, they gave me some confidence as they looked the part.

"They were all really nice and had lots of experience doing the jumps so I felt more at ease.

"When I got in the plane, I started to panic all over again but then, sat on the edge of the plane, I just felt really calm, which was surprising.

"Doing the skydive was one of the best experience of my life and I've already booked to do another one in May.

"It's helped me overcome my feat of heights and I was so happy to raise so much for a great charity, £765 in total. They do such a good job, I just love what they do."

Sarah Harris, founder of Raven's Rescue, thanked Tiffany for her fundraising efforts and said the cash would be spent on "ever growing vet bills".