A YORK student has taken to the skies to raise £1,000 to help buy a support dog for her autistic brother.

Jadeane Robinson, 19, who attends York College, took part in a sky dive in the hope of improving the safety and quality of life of Logan, 11,who has severe anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as well as autism.

Logan's mother Amanda, who lives at Pollington, near Goole, said the family needed to raise £5,000 for a specially trained and highly skilled dog which would help him in a variety of ways.

"The dog will be connected to our son via a belt around the waist," she said. "Logan is very impulsive and will react to stimuli and will bolt.

"Should he attempt to do, this the dog is trained to sit, lie down and act as an anchor to give me time to intervene and deal with the situation.

"The dog is trained to sit at kerbs and stairs, and responds to my commands."

She said the dog could ease Logan's frustrations and anxiety by providing a 'calming sensory input,' companionship and fun, as well as an emotional support.

It could also help in social situations. "Logan struggles to make friends and maintain friendships," she said. "The dog can help with inclusion in social leisure activities, easing the stress, making family outing less stressful and enjoyable."

It would also improve Logan's quality of sleep by sleeping in his bedroom, offering comfort, and alerting the family when Logan was awake.

She said Jadeane completed her sky dive at Hibaldstow Airfield, near Scunthorpe, earlier this week, and raised just over £1,000, which had paid the deposit for the start of the dog's training programme but the family still needed to raise the remaining £4,000 by October.

She urged people to help by making donations to http://www.gofundme.com/vmg8z4s.

"People's help and kind donations really will change our little boys' family's life," she said. "Maybe a local business would like to help?" Anyone wanting to help should email mand.robo@gmail.com.