A South Manchester pub manager has confronted his fear of heights by freefalling 15,000 feet in a skydive to raise £4,568 for Francis House Children’s Hospice.

Martin Devlin, general manager of the Fletcher Moss in Didsbury, has called Didsbury his home for more than three decades and has managed the Hydes Brewery-owned pub for the past 14 years.

Community support and fundraising come hand in hand at the South Manchester pub that hosts weekly quiz nights, acoustic nights and a Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve party night with ticket sales in aid of the hospice that provides respite care and support to the families of children with life-shortening or life-threatening conditions.

Martin’s support of Francis House has taken him from the comfort of the bar to abseiling down the Trafford Palazzo Tower and jumping out of a plane.

“I was on holiday lying on a beach and thinking I need to do something this year for Francis House. I looked to the sky and I thought, skydive,” said Devlin.

“I’m scared of heights and abseiling down the tower at the Trafford Centre a few years ago was probably the scariest thing I have done. It just seems so unnatural to stand on the edge of a building and when they say, ‘lean back’, you just think that’s not right!”

Despite his initial fears, Martin described his dive from the skies above Lancaster as a ‘relaxing and enjoyable’ experience. He said: “The adrenaline took over from the nerves and the weather was lovely. There were other people around doing it and you’re watching them go up and come down all the time, and you can see how much they enjoyed it.

“I was most scared about the freefall, but that’s the bit I enjoyed the most. When the shoot opened and we spun round I did feel a bit sick, but the instructor said to look at the horizon, and you can see Blackpool Tower and the Lake District. The nerves kicked in when I could see the ground and I knew I was going to land on it, but apart from that I loved it. If someone said do it for charity I would do it again.”

The Fletcher Moss was recently named among England’s ‘500 Best Pubs’ by The Daily Telegraph. An honour that Martin puts down to the hard work of the team as well as its timeless charm as a proper British pub and beautifully kept cask ales.

Hydes was founded in 1863 and runs its brewing and pub operations out of Media City in Salford.