Whanganui firefighter Jay Rickard is combining her career skills with her love of music and fitness to raise money for a cause close to her heart.
Rickard is taking part in the Firefighter Sky Tower Stair Challenge on May 18 to raise funds and awareness for Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand (LBC). The annual challenge involves firefighters, wearing up to 25kg of kit, climbing 51 flights of stairs in Auckland's 328 metre tall Sky Tower.
Rickard has done the challenge once before but this year it has special significance for the lead singer of local band Rock Heart Cult.
"Our drummer Sara has been supporting her partner Mark who has been having treatment for leukaemia," Rickard said.
"I decided to put the call out to my music friends to lend me their time and talents for a really good cause."