A Sunderland multiple sclerosis sufferer is taking the plunge and jumping out of a plane to raise money for the MS Society.

Stephen, from Hetton, was inspired to raise funds for the charity when his employer, EDF Energy, announced the MS Society as its charity partner earlier this year.

Stephen Evans, 31, was diagnosed with MS at the age of 20 and is confined to a wheelchair after losing the use of his legs at just 23 years old. But that is not stopping him from doing a sponsored skydive on August 22 at Peterlee Airfield to raise money for the UK’s largest MS charity.

He said: “By doing this skydive I am hoping to raise as much money as possible for the MS Society. MS is something that people have often heard of but not everyone understands what it is and how it affects sufferers and their families.

“The MS Society looks into research, education and training on MS as well as helping those affected and their families with respite care and financial assistance.” Multiple sclerosis is the most common disabling neurological disorder affecting young adults and an estimated 85,000 people in the UK have MS. Stephen, a customer service advisor, has worked at EDF Energy’s Sunderland customer service centre at Doxford International Business Park for 12 years.

EDF Energy chose the MS Society as a charity partner for 2009/10 in March and has pledged to match the amount raised by employees by up to £100,000. Through its partnership with the society, EDF Energy will provide funding and energy advice to help people and their families to handle the impact of living with MS.

Kevin Gatens, director of customer services at EDF Energy in Doxford, said: “We are all backing Stephen in his skydive. It is fantastic that he is taking on this huge feat to raise money for the MS Society.”

MS is the result of damage to myelin – the protective sheath surrounding nerve fibres of the central nervous system – which interferes with messages between the brain and the body.

For some people, MS is characterised by periods of relapse and remission while for others it has a progressive pattern. Symptoms range from loss of sight and mobility, fatigue, depression and cognitive problems. There is no cure and few effective treatments.

Stephen first developed symptoms of MS at the age of 12 when he regularly suffered from double vision and went blind in one eye for a number of weeks. It was at the age of 20 when he started losing the feeling in parts of his body that he was diagnosed with MS.

After losing his ability to walk, Stephen suffered intention tremors which got so bad that he had brain surgery twice at the age of 24 to stop them.

Stephen, who lives alone and is supported by carers, is not fazed by the 10,000ft tandem jump ahead of him.

He said “I’ve actually wanted to do a bungee jump in the past when a friend was jumping but there were too many steps up to the platform so I wasn’t able to.

“I’m excited more than anything for the skydive and just hope I can raise a decent amount for the MS Society.”

The MS Society provides respite care, a freephone helpline (0808 800 8000), specialist MS nurses and funds around 40 vital MS research projects in the UK.

Anyone wishing to sponsor Stephen can do so by visiting www.justgiving.com/skydiveformss.