A REGISTERED blind man from Skipton is preparing to jump out of a plane at 14,000ft to raise money for Guide Dogs.

Richard Wadwell will fall for about a minute and reach speeds of up to 120 miles per hour in the tandem ski-dive at an airport near Grange-over-Sands in June.

"Frankly when you can't see you get used to putting your life in other people's hands so jumping out of a plane doesn't worry me," said Richard, who has been registered blind since birth.

Richard, who in 2012 was given Ralph, a Labrador retriever cross for the nominal sum of 50p, wanted to do what he could to give something back to the charity.

"Every time I leave the house I'm taking a huge gamble, though much less so now with Ralph, so I am quite used to risk," he said.

"I'm just hoping my instructor is in good health and doesn't have a hangover."

His jump will take place at Skydive Northwest and the parachute will be deployed at 5,000ft, allowing Richard and his instructor to descend gracefully to the ground.

Richard and Ralph have become a familiar sight in Skipton as they navigate their way along the crowded pavements.

“Like many people with a guide dog I have a little bit of sight, but not sufficient to navigate the crowded pavements of Skipton on my own," he said.

"Ralph gives me the freedom and independence that most people take for granted. Since I got Ralph back in 2012, my horizons have expanded. With his help I navigate around town, make journeys by train, bus and even plane without having to rely on the help of others”.

Richard is co-ordinator of the Skipton branch of the charity, and stages regular quiz nights. The skydive was given to him as a gift, and he hopes to raise £500, which will all go to the charity.

Donations can be made at justgiving.com/RichardandRalph or text RALF66 £amount to 70070.