Woman to mark 102nd birthday by breaking skydiving record

While it’s her first time skydiving, Manette Baillie is no stranger to pushing herself to her limits – she celebrated her 100th birthday behind the wheel of a Ferrari racing car at Silverstone.

Manette Baillie. Pic: East Anglian Air Ambulance

A woman from Suffolk plans to mark her 102nd birthday on Sunday with a record-breaking skydive.

Manette Baillie will become the oldest person in Britain to skydive when she jumps from a plane over East Anglia on Sunday.

It will also mark the first time she has ever done it.

She will be completing the challenge from Beccles Airfield to raise money for three causes: the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA), the Motor Neurone Disease Association and Benhall Village Hall.

Ms Baillie, who served in the Woman’s Royal Naval Service (WRENS) in Egypt during the Second World War, told the EAAA: “You must always look for something new.

“I was once married to a paratrooper but have never done it [a skydive] myself.”

Well wishes and donations have come in from parachutists and experts studying how best to live fulfilling lives well into old age, and Ms Baillie has even received a personal letter from the Prince of Wales ahead of the challenge.

The almost 102-year-old, who still drives, is no stranger to pushing herself to her limits – she celebrated her 100th birthday behind the wheel of a Ferrari racing car at Silverstone, reaching a speed of 130mph.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/woman-to-mark-102nd-birthday-by-breaking-skydiving-record-13202853