The skydiving granny who can’t get enough adrenaline
By Joe McCann
AN 80 year-old Moneyreagh woman who is a self-confessed ‘adrenaline junkie’ is preparing to take part in her third skydive to celebrate her birthday and raise money for Leukaemia Research.
Margaret Kerr, who celebrated her 80th birthday on Tuesday, will be taking to the skies this weekend to take a giant leap not only for her big day but also to raise money for Leukaemia Research, a charity dear to herself and her family.
The sprightly pensioner carried out her first skydive 15 years ago and followed it up with another about 10 years ago.
Asked how it feels to be up in the sky and heading for the ground, Margaret said it was extremely cold.
“When you jump out, what got me was just how cold it was, unbelievably cold. But once I hit the ground, if the instructor had asked me if I wanted to go again I would have said yes in an instant – I must admit, I’m an adrenaline junkie.”
Margaret explained that she suffered a stroke four years ago and was advised by her daughter not to do another skydive, but she wasn’t for giving up.
“My daughter said ‘Mummy, it’s not happening.’ And I said to her ‘You can’t tell your mother what to do,” she laughed.
“After my stroke I tried to organise a walk on my own down to Dublin to raise some money for charity but they talked me out of that so instead I walked 20 miles every day for five consecutive days, rain or shine.
“My grandson came up to me and he said, ‘I’m going to have to keep an eye on you because there’ll be men in white coats out on the roads looking for you’.”
Margaret has chosen to raise money for Leukaemia Research after her husband Mervyn passed away from the disease 10 years ago.
“He got sick when we were on holiday in America and passed away 12 weeks later from leukaemia,” said Magaret. “He was so, so much fun and I want to raise the money for Leukaemia Research and the brilliant work they do.
“Mervyn accompanied me on my first skydive which we did with some family friends and my daughter watching. When I was up in the air my daughter and friends were so nervous about me falling but Mervyn pulled a big black bag out from the boot and when they all asked what it was for, he then got out a shovel and said it was to have something to clean me up with when I hit the ground.
“He was always there to support me on our adventures and we had lots and lots of memories together. I think he thought I was mad.
“He sadly passed away a few months before our 50th wedding anniversary but I now see a lot of him in my 22 year-old grandson, Ben who has the same very dry sense of wit.”
As well as skydiving, Margaret said she has tried wingwalking on an aircraft but said she had to go to Essex in England to do that one, because they don’t do it over here.
Margaret added: “If you’re looking out next Friday and you see something weird floating about in the sky, don’t grab a gun and shoot it down in case it’s me.”
Margaret’s JustGiving page can be found by going to https://www.justgiving.com/page/margaret-kerr-2
