A DAREDEVIL great-grandmother who took to the sky to raise money for charity has reached her fundraising target.
Last month, Kitty Grove-Stephensen, from Middlesbrough, took part in a sponsored flight in a microlight aircraft with East Durham Microlights to raise thousands of pounds for MS Research.
The 87-year-old described the experience as “fantastic” and “not scary at all” – and she even got the chance to wave to her friend as she passed over her house.
She has now confirmed to The Northern Echo that her challenge raised more than £2,500 for MS Research, which is likely to bring her overall amount raised to in excess of her £10,000 target.
She said: “It was really exciting – I’ve been planning to do something when I was 87 for quite a while now and this was the one that was able to take me aloft. It is a beautiful day – it couldn’t be better.
“Basically I do it for the money and the sponsorship – I do it to raise money for medical charities. This is the fourth one I’ve done for medical charities.
“The money is more exciting than anything but it was lovely up there.”
This was by no means Kitty’s first extreme challenge, as she previously abseiled off the Transporter Bridge and travelled on a zip wire at speeds of more than 100mph.
And despite turning 87 last month, she has no plans to slow down – and is even planning another abseiling challenge when she reaches 90.
Speaking to The Northern Echo, Kitty said she had initially wanted to take part in a wing walk or paragliding, but she could not get approval from her doctor, therefore her chosen challenge was her “last hope”.
After completing the challenge, she said: “That’s better – that was fantastic. It is not scary – don’t let anyone tell you it is scary – there is nothing wrong with it.
“I flew over my friends house – they gave me a wave and I waved back again.”
She has three children, two grand-children and three step-great-grandchildren, and has been a dedicated charity worker since she was 10 to help prisoners of war in Germany.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here