BEING in a wheelchair is not going to stop Samuel Merchant jumping out of a plane to raise money for charity.

The 25-year-old, of Northleigh, Bradford on Avon, suffers from Friedrich's ataxia, a rare neurological degenerative disease which causes co-ordination problems. He wants to raise at least £2,000 for Ataxia UK, a charity which supports sufferers by helping those with the illness to meet up, providing wheelchairs and funding research.

Mr Merchant hopes to complete the tandem jump on June 3 in Oxfordshire, along with three others, two who also have ataxia.

He said: "Ataxia UK has helped me meet other people who have the same thing as me. It's just a relief to know other people with the condition."

His illness means he has had to use a wheelchair for several years and he also has difficulty communicating because of hearing and speech problems. Mr Merchant said: "It was there from birth but it was only when I was 13 that I began to notice something was wrong. I had to give up the piano because I couldn't feel the keys anymore. I wasn't diagnosed until I was 20."

Ataxia affects about two in 50,000 people and there is currently no cure. To sponsor Mr Merchant go to www.justgiving.com/skydiveforataxia