The search for April Jones involved hundreds of mountain rescuers and other volunteers
The sister of murdered Machynlleth schoolgirl April Jones will leap from an aeroplane to raise money for one of the mountain rescue teams that took part in the search for the five-year-old.
Hazel Louise Jones will make a skydive on Saturday in aid of Western Beacons Mountain Search and Rescue Team in recognition of the volunteers’ efforts in trying to find her sister.
The disappearance of April sparked the biggest search operation for decades in and around the mid-Wales town, with volunteer mountain rescue teams from all over the UK coming to the area to help in the hunt for the girl.
Her body was never found and Mark Bridger was last month convicted of April’s abduction and murder in addition to perverting the course of justice. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole-life tariff.
April’s half-sister Hazel Louise will make the skydive at noon on Saturday at Swansea Airport. Her justgiving page for the event has already raised well over her £1,000 target for the mountain rescue team, with more than £2,800 pledged for the team at the time of writing.
Ms Jones said on the site: “I am doing this because they showed amazing courage and dedication to the search of my little sister April Jones when she went missing in October 2012.
“They battled all types of terrain and horrendous weather conditions, and although she was never found, they, like Paul, Coral [April’s parents] and so many other people never gave up hope.
Western Beacons Mountain Search and Rescue Team spokesman Nick Hardwidge said: “When we were approached by Hazel Louise Jones via her mother, Karen Griffiths, on our Facebook page, it is fair to say that we, the team, were overwhelmed for several reasons.
“We were humbled by the fact that Hazel has chosen our team out of all the teams who supported the search for April. We are painfully aware that so many other teams had also contributed to the search for April – and yet Western Beacons were selected.
“That someone enduring such a difficult time can so effectively reach out and offer to support our team shows strength of character that is simply incredible.
“We can only offer our thanks to Hazel Louise and the generosity of the public who have contributed to the fund. This unexpected source of income comes at a rather opportune time as the team looks to replace their control vehicle at a cost of £65,000.
“The search for little April is an example of how we as a team are being called to more rural and urban searches.
“We are no longer purely a mountain rescue team. Over 60 per cent of our callouts are now to assist in lowland searches such as the one in Machynlleth.
“Finally, we would like once more to thank the community of Machynlleth and the surrounding area for their incredible support during the search for April and also to thank April’s family for their generosity regarding Hazel’s skydive, which will benefit the team and ultimately the people we, in turn, support.”
Donations for Hazel Louise’s appeal can be made via her justgiving page.
