A CANCER survivor whose spine was rebuilt after lifesaving surgery has leapt out of a plane to help the destitute.

Widnes dad-of-two Clive Baines plunged 15,000 feet in a charity tandem skydive.

The 65-year-old old, from Hough Green, has almost trebled his target of £500 as donations have topped £1,300.

His daredevil stunt was for St Vincent De Paul (SVP), a charity at St Wilfrid’s Catholic Church in Widnes whose volunteers befriend and support people who need clothes, food, furniture and financial help.

Clive, who was diagnosed with bone cancer on the spine 10 years ago, said: “I just wanted to help people who have nothing and make their life a bit better.

“I can’t walk far or do a sponsored bike ride but I could throw myself out of a plane. I had to get permission off my surgeon to do this.

“The exhilaration as you leave the plane was the worst bit. You’re travelling at an awesome speed.

“Coming through the clouds was amazing. The landing was absolutely superb.”

Clive, now retired, was a camping trailer manufacturer running Widnes Trailer Centre when his spine suddenly collapsed.

“I felt a crack on my back,” he said. “A tumour had been eating away at my spine. Surgeons put metalwork and pistons in between notches on my spine.

“I had radiotherapy and chemotherapy. I was in a wheelchair and couldn’t walk for months.

“A few years later consultants said they’d only given me 12 months.”

Clive says staff at Halton Haven Hospice where he was a day patient for three years gave him the willpower to battle on.

“I wouldn’t have survived without them,” he said. “They gave me so much encouragement and drive to move forward.”

Now battling prostate cancer, Clive, a former SVP volunteer, has vowed to continue helping others.

“I came across a chap who only had the clothes he stood up in,” he said. “He had no bed, no food, no settee and no telly.

“He loved having a chat and eventually let me help him.

“There are so many people in desperate need. Mental health issues, a broken marriage, addiction or losing your job can leave you in dire straits.

“What keeps me positive is my strong faith.

“I want to thank everyone for their unbelievable generosity. It’s just amazing how people pull together to give a helping hand to those in urgent need.”

To donate visit justgiving.com/fundraising/clivebaines.