Ballygawley 76-year-old takes on charity skydive

AT 76-years-old, Ballygawley pensioner Bridie Lucas will soon become one of Ireland’s oldest skydivers when she takes to the heavens to raise money for Air Ambulance NI.

For most people, irrespective of their age, such a prospect would be surrounded by stress, anxiety and trepidation.

For Bridie, however, who reluctantly admits to being somewhat of an adrenaline junkie, she looks forward to the day with childlike excitement.

“I did a bungee jump 27 years ago to raise money for cancer,” recalled the Ballygawley woman, speaking with the Tyrone Herald last week.

“After doing that, I said I would love to do a skydive someday.”

In fact, the 76-year-old gardening enthusiast has sought out more than just a single skydive in order to feed her habit for heights.

Bridie has completed two bungee jumps, and recently got out for a spin in a two-seater light aircraft at Carrickmore airfield.

“I did one of the bungee jumps at Podge Quinn’s and then I did the second up at Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge – that aul’ wobbly bridge on the North Coast,” she laughed.

“And Dan McCartan [of C-More Flying School] recently took me up in the air as well. It was marvellous, as were the bungee jumps!”

But there are a few important differences between a bungee jump and a skydive – not least the 15,000ft altitude that Bridie will be at when she steps out into the sky in September.

Perhaps it was these disparities that led some people to query whether Bridie should be doing a skydive at all.

“I started chatting about doing the dive a while ago, and in passing somebody said to me that people my age are not allowed to do skydives,” recalled Bridie.

Horrified, Bridie wasted no time before seeking clarity on whether she was eligible or not.

“I got in the door, called the people at Garavgh [airfield], and put it to them straight: Am I too old to do a skydive?”

After answering a couple of questions, it was determined that Bridie was perfectly fit to go through with what she had signed up for.

Now, the mother-of-two is on a mission to raise as much money as she possibly can for a charity she believes deserve every penny they get.

“Air Ambulance is such a worthwhile organisation that relies solely on public donations.

“I have paid for the skydive myself, so donations after that will go straight to Air Ambulance,” she said.

“I have raised about a thousand pounds so far.”

Not one for the attention, but willing to momentarily step into the limelight if it means raising money for a valuable cause, Bridie has taken her family’s advice and acquiesced to speaking with the paper and getting her photo taken.

“I do not like getting my picture taken or any of that,” said Bridie.

“However, my ones all said it would help raise more money, so here I am.”

To donate, search ‘Bridie’s fundraiser for Air Ambulance Northern Ireland’ on the JustGiving website.