FEARLESS Tamzyn Ovens is taking on a tandem skydive to say thank you to Royal United Hospital staff in Bath who have helped her father.

Miss Ovens, 21, from Calne, will take the 10,000ft dive on March 14 to raise money for the Forever Friends Appeal’s RUH Cancer Care Campaign which is raising £8.5million for a new cancer centre in Bath.

Her father, Mark Ovens, was diagnosed with cancer in June 2014.

Miss Ovens said: "If it wasn't for the wonderful team at the RUH, my Dad may not be here today. They have been thoroughly supportive to both my dad and family and have given us the hope we needed.

"I wanted to give something back to say thank you, but also to help others who will be affected by cancer by helping raise funds for a brand new cancer centre at the hospital."

Mr Ovens fell ill early last year and an emergency chest x-ray at the RUH showed a shadow on his lung.

Miss Ovens said: "I still remember so vividly the call from my step-mum, Karen, I was just getting ready for a nightshift, I fell apart thinking the worst.

"Eventually I managed to compose myself and keep my hopes up that it wasn't going to be the big C.

"Unfortunately, further tests showed my wonderful dad had a cancerous tumour on his lung, which had spread to his liver and his brain and even more devastatingly, it was incurable.

"That day in June, it felt like the lives of myself and my family had just fallen apart."

Soon after diagnosis, Mr Ovens started a course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy and very quickly saw a huge difference.

However in November Mr Ovens’ treatment was put on hold by an infection.

“It was absolutely heartbreaking to see my big strong dad look so weak, vulnerable and fragile," Miss Ovens said.

“We were all so scared the cancer had ‘got him' so much sooner than we'd imagined, even though the tumours had shrunk.”

Mr Ovens was discharged a couple of days later but was re-admitted last month after new tumours developed.

Miss Ovens said: “It is so upsetting to have such a knock back after coming so far.

“Dad has just had the first of four sessions of a different chemotherapy drug which will hopefully work its magic just as well, if not better, than his first lot.”

You can sponsor Miss Ovens at: www.doitforcharity.com/tami93