East Coast Tigers supporter to jump 160ft off a bridge for fundraising challenge

Nathan Pearce will be taking on the challenge, which will see him bungee jump off Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge, to allow his nieces’ team to install an air conditioning system in their new gym.

Lillee Pearce, nine, and her sister Gracie, seven, are both members of the East Coast Tigers, the only cheerleading group in Scarborough.

Nathan, 28, said: “I go to competitions and I know how hard they work and with them struggling to get some money I was trying to think of ways I could help them out.”

The East Coast Tigers moved to their current home on Salter Road, Eastfield, in April last year after years of struggles to find a new place.

“There was always nowhere suitable, nowhere the council was happy with us being there, nowhere with a big enough car park. Then through CPH we heard that Duraweld was looking to downsize and that the unit was about to go on the market,” head coach Jess Mortimer explained.

“Although it was a factory it was quite a nice factory, all it needed was a little paint.”

Having their own gym allowed the team to put on more classes and ultimately expand, going from 99 athletes to 157 in less than a year.

However, after an incredibly hot summer in 2019, the cheerleaders are now on a mission to raise £10,000 for a much-needed air conditioning system.

Jess added: “We have a heater which can turn into a fan blowing cold air at you but it’s rubbish. Some days last summer it got to 42 degrees and we had to cancel some classes because the girls were feeling poorly. Some of them had paid for training so we had to put on extra sessions to make up for it and for competitions we just had to push through.

“It was horrible and we don’t want any of the girls to feel uncomfortable so this year we’d like to avoid it if we can.”

Having already helped the team once – he did a skydive in 2018 to raise funds for a new sprung floor – Nathan is looking forward to his next challenge, adding: “It’s quite nerve-wracking but I’m also excited.”

Anyone who would like to support Nathan ahead of his bungee jump on April 19 can do so HERE.