Happy List 2015: Fighting cancer with a head for heights and pots of jam

Angharad Underwood raised more than £10,000 for the Velindre Cancer Centre organising a mass zipwire ride

Angharad Underwood with her son Archie

The Independent on Sunday continues to celebrate those unsung heroes who make Britain a happier – and kinder – place to live.

She is a woman on a mission to fight cancer – with a zipwire and blackcurrant jam. Angharad Underwood had initially intended the zipwire ride to be a treat for her and her son Archie, eight. But in December Ms Underwood, 43, of Chepstow, Monmouthshire, was diagnosed with breast cancer. There to help was Sarah, the cancer nurse from the Velindre Cancer Centre in Whitchurch, Cardiff.

“She was amazing. She helped us all, as a family, to understand what to expect,” said Ms Underwood, who runs her own jam-making company, the Preservation Society. “She picked me up when my world collapsed.”

But cancer nurses rely on charitable funding, “So I decided to use the zipwire to raise money for the Velindre.” By the time Ms Underwood had enlisted her 81-year-old mother and the “Dell Daredevils” were formed by teachers at Dell Primary, Archie’s school, 203 people were ready to do a mass zipwire ride last month. “I had kind of blocked out the fact that I have a fear of heights. I screamed all the way down,” said Ms Underwood, who has been in remission since July. The day raised more than £10,000 for the Velindre.

Ms Underwood lost nearly all sense of taste during chemotherapy – but loved her friend’s blackcurrant jam. Hence the idea for her new Blissfully Blackcurrant jam, with all the money going to the Velindre. “I hope seeing the logo will remind people to check for lumps and bumps, and get any cancer detected as soon as possible.”

velindrefundraising.com/donate