In this screenshot from a distributed video, Manette Baillie, 102, smiles as she prepares to skydive over England on Sunday.
Skydiving in the UK and Goldster/document distributed via Reuters
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Skydiving in the UK and Goldster/document distributed via Reuters
A 102-year-old British thrill-seeker has become the oldest person in the UK to skydive.
Manette Baillie, who celebrated her birthday a few days earlier, broke the record Sunday during a tandem jump in eastern England, according to skydiving company UK Parachuting.
“It was a little scary,” said Baillie, a World War II veteran. told BBC Radio 4 after this daring dive. “I have to admit that I closed my eyes very tightly.”
She added that she wishes “other people who are approaching 80 and 90 years old to not give up on anything. Just keep moving forward.”
Baillie made the parachute jump partly to raise funds for three organisations, including the East Anglian Air Ambulance and the Motor Neurone Disease Association, saying the “deeply cruel disease” had made someone close to her ill.
She also raised money for the Benhall & Sternfield Ex Servicemens Club, her local club which she said was “in need of considerable renovation”. Baillie has lived in Benhall Green since 1961, THE Tutor reported, and before served in the Women’s Royal Naval Service in Egypt during World War II.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, the club said I was “so proud” of Baillie.
The planned jump has sparked excitement across the UK for the centenary, including from the royal family. William, Prince of Wales, wrote a personal letter to Baillie with words of encouragement, Telegraph reported.
“Since working for East Anglian Air Ambulance, I know how many lives are saved thanks to the generosity of people like you,” Prince William said. “We will be thinking of you on 25 August and hope you have a wonderful time.”
This is not the first time Baillie has attempted extreme events at her advanced age. Two years ago, before her 100th birthday, she zoomed around the famous Silverstone circuit in the UK, reaching speeds of up to 130mph.
According to the BBC, the record for the UK’s oldest skydiver was previously held by Verdun Hayes, who in 2017 jumped over Devon at the age of 101.
