Bridie on cloud nine after charity skydive

AT 76-years-old, Bridie Lucas might not look like the most natural candidate for a charity skydive… but looks, as the old saying goes, can be deceiving.

Recently, in the name of Air Ambulance and adrenaline, the Ballygawley pensioner leapt from a light aircraft into the Irish skies below.

At an altitude of 15,000 feet, strapped to an instructor, Bridie closed her eyes, clenched her fists, and hurled herself into the clouds.

“When eventually I reached the ground, I landed with a quare thump,” she told the Tyrone Herald, when we caught up with her a few days later.

Still recovering from her skydive-induced aches and pains, Bridie was kind enough to share with us the unforgettable experience she had that day in Co Derry.

“I did the jump in Garvagh (airfield),” began Bridie.

“About 20 people came up to watch and I think they were more nervous than me when I was going up.

“As I walked towards the plane with my suit and all on, I gave them a wee thumbs up.”

However, while it was the onlookers whose guts may have been spinning at that stage, Bridie’s would soon follow suit.

“I got on the best, but I have to admit that it was nerve-wracking,” she said, with the laugh of a woman relieved to be back on land.

“I was up a lot higher than when I did the bungee jumps.

“I was grand the whole way up, then when it was time to jump, the nerves just hit me.”

Turning to her instructor just before they jumped, Bridie shouted, ‘I am eating snow’, only to be told that the feeling she was experiencing was the clouds and wind speed.

“I was scared at that point, I have to say, but there is not much you can do once you are up apart from jump!”

So jump she did.

“When I got to the ground my head was spinning and I nearly thought I was about to pass out. Right enough, I had not eaten much for my breakfast,” reflected Bridie, who may have been failing to overlook the 15,000 more obvious reasons for her light-headedness.

“To be honest, even though it was daunting and frightening, it was a wonderful experience and something that I will definitely do again… although, maybe not for a while,” laughed Bridie.

So far through her fundraising Bridie has raised over £5,000 and the donations are still coming in.

“I am glad I done it and I am very grateful to everyone that has donated.”

To contribute to the already substantial pot, search ‘Bridie’s fundraiser for Air Ambulance Northern Ireland’ on the JustGiving website.