GRANDMOTHER Pat Newton’s first ever flight was one she won’t forget in a hurry - after she leapt out at 15,000 feet.

A chance conversation led Pat, 77, to take on a tandem skydive in memory of husband Colin, who died a decade ago following a 15-year struggle with Parkinson’s disease.

Pat, a member of the Colchester branch of Parkinson’s UK, raised £1,400 for the cause, which offered support to the couple.

She decided to take part after hearing her daughter-in-law Sarah and granddaughter Jess had decided to do the jump from Beccles Airfield in Suffolk for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research.

Pat, of Lawford, said she had simply never chosen to leave the country on a plane.

She said: “Once I had decided to do it and people had been supportive and said they would donate money then there was no turning back.”

Pat, who has four children and nine grandchildren, said she had been overwhelmed by the support of friends from St Mary’s Church in Ardleigh, family and their work colleagues.

Pat and Colin, who was 69 when he died, both worked on a small holding estate at Foxash before retiring at nearby Cornwall Close, Lawford.

Anyone wishing to make a donation or find out more can contact club secretary Ann Moore at annmoore41@hotmail.co.uk