A MUM who had a cardiac arrest inside a Salisbury nightclub and had a lifesaving transplant is taking on a high-flying challenge for two charities that mean the world to her.

Carla Gair, who grew up in Salisbury but now lives in Hampshire, will be taking part in her first tandem skydive at Old Sarum Airfield on December 2. She is still deciding whether to do the 10,000ft or 15,000ft jump.

She said: “I’ve always wanted to do a skydive since I can remember but I’ve obviously never been allowed before now. I can’t believe I’ve finally got the go ahead to jump.

I don’t see it as a challenge, once you’ve fought heart disease and got through the toughest of times with needing and getting through a heart transplant this will seem like a bit of fun, a walk in the park.”

March 17 marked the 10-year anniversary of the incident when she became ill while on a night out with friends at The Chapel in 2007. She had to be given CPR at the scene.

Carla, who was only 30 at the time, was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy and fitted with an internal defibrillator. However, her conditioned worsened and she had a heart transplant in December 2014, which she says has transformed her life.

Carla will be doing the skydive to raise money for two charities, Live Life Give Life and Papworth Hospital Charity, which she says mean the world to her. Carla is an advocate for Live Life Give Life and says the charity gave her a lot of support when she was on the transplant waiting list. And Papworth Hospital, she says, saved her life and has taken care of her throughout the transplant process and to this day.

“There are no amount of words to express how grateful myself, the children and the rest of my family are to them [Papworth Hospital]. They made me feel safe miles away from home and even managed to put a smile on my face during my darkest times. They got me, as promised, back home to be ‘Mum’ again.”

“My life hasn’t been the same since my cardiac arrest in 2007. But then I believe that everything happens for a reason and I’m so very lucky to still be here today. I’ve had quite a few close calls,” she said.

“Since the transplant I have been able to do things I just couldn’t before. I can walk with ease, I don’t struggle to get up and down stairs anymore, I’ve got more energy in my 40s than I had during my 30s. My quality of life before transplant was non-existent and now it’s better than I could have ever imagined.”

To support Carla go to justgiving.com/teams/sparklyheart