A mum from Sandhurst whose teenage son died from a brain tumour has jumped from 15,000 feet with her family and friends in his memory.

The 15-strong team from Berkshire threw themselves out of a plane above Old Sarum Airfield in Salisbury on Saturday to raise money for Brain Tumour Research.

Nikki Treharne dived with the ashes of her 17-year-old boy, Ethan, strapped to her chest.

“It was an insane experience, but my instructor, Hank, was great. He said what a special a day it was, and that when we all went up there we would be closer to Ethan,” said Nikki, who lost Ethan on November 26, 2021.

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“It really felt like he was there with us - even though he’s always with me really.”

She added: “When you’re at the edge, you’re gone; there’s no time to be scared. People have said we were all really brave, but Ethan went through much more than we did and was so much braver.”

Sports enthusiast Ethan was preparing for his GCSEs when he began to suffer with severe headaches and slurred speech. A scan at Frimley Park Hospital in Camberley showed a 4cm mass on Ethan’s brain.

Nikki, 51, who works as a personal assistant, said: “We were told because Ethan was considered a child in medical terms, he would be offered a second surgery, and that was telling of how serious the diagnosis was.”

Within three-and-a-half weeks of being diagnosed, Ethan underwent two craniotomies and gruelling radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment in London, which left him with epilepsy.

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Nikki added: “Ethan’s attitude to treatment and trying to continue living life to the full left us feeling humbled and amazed.

“His daily routine of taking 26 tablets split over morning and night regimented his day. He had three alarms set to take a mix of vitamins, chemo, and seizure medication. All of this to give our son a quality of life.”

Despite receiving immunotherapy treatment in Germany, which the family self-funded, a scan showed re-growth of the tumour and in January 2021, Ethan had a third operation.

As his seizures became more frequent – sometimes up to seven per day – Ethan lost mobility in his arms and legs. He died on November, 26 2021 at home surrounded by his mum, dad and two siblings.

The team of skydivers have raised more than £6,000 for Brain Tumour Research, whose vision is to find a cure for all types of brain tumours.

One in three people know someone affected by a brain tumour and they kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer.

Mel Tiley, community, development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “The work Nikki’s family and friends have put in to fundraising and having a huge team skydiving in Ethan’s memory is incredible.

“It’s through this generosity which will help us find a cure so we can keep more families from going through this terrible loss.”