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‘Daredevil’ wing-walking granny takes to skies despite just having pacemaker fitted
A ‘daredevil’ granny has taken to the skies in honour of her late husband.
She may be 80, but age is nothing but a number for Darlington’s Nancy Spencer, who says she seems to have ‘less fear’ the older she gets. She is so unafraid, that her latest adventure saw her take part in a daring wing walk strapped to the top wing of a Boeing Stearman biplane travelling at whopping speeds of 135mph.
This is in spite of the fact that the granny just recently had a pacemaker fitted after falling ill. It’s all in aid of a good cause, though, as her daring stunt was done to raise money for St Teresa’s Hospice, the charity that supported her late husband Brian before he sadly died 10 years ago.
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Nancy is no stranger to getting creative when it comes to raising money, over the years she has taken part in a host of events including abseiling from the top of a hospital, It’s a Knockout contests and even sponsored bed pushes. She had initially planned to take part in a skydive, however after falling ill and having a pacemaker fitted, her doctor advised against the daring stunt.
Speaking before her wing walk, the 80-year-old said: “I’ve never done a wing walk before, I must be a bit of a daredevil. As I get older I seem to have less fear.”
She first had dreams of completing the skydive 10 years ago when she was 70, however sadly lost Brian around the same time after he was diagnosed with cancer on Christmas Eve morning. She travelled down to Wingwalk Buzz at Leeds Airport East near York to complete the task where she spoke to her late husband as she sailed through the sky.
“I said hello to Brian up there, he said he was very proud of me and I said I would see him in 20 years’ time,” said Nancy.
“It was exhilarating, amazing, scary at times, but fabulous, what an experience. I’ve just asked the pilot whether it has got rid of my wrinkles. I wouldn’t do it again but I would recommend anyone to do it as a one-off. The worst part was getting on and the wind in my ears, I should have had a helmet on or headphones, but it was amazing.”
She is hoping to raise £3,000 for St Teresa’s Hospice, where she continues to volunteer, after the dramatic stunt. Friends and family members including her daughter and granddaughter watched on as she completed the 15-minute flight.
Her daughter Lynn Bradley said: “We think she is mad, crazy, but it is my mum we are talking about at the end of the day so we know what to expect. We can’t put into words how very proud of her we are. She is an amazing lady.”
Nancy’s granddaughter Lisa Woodhouse added: “It was a better option than parachuting. I’m glad she was just sitting on a plane and not jumping out of one. I can’t believe she had a blow dry yesterday because she got a free one today.”
St Teresa’s Hospice needs to raise £4m a year to provide free in-patient and community care for people living with life-limiting illnesses and their families in Darlington, South Durham and North Yorkshire.
Its interim chief executive Nicola Myers said: “It costs us just under £4m to run the hospice and 70 per cent of that is realised by our lovely community. This is what Nancy is doing today. She is an amazing volunteer for the hospice and an incredible fundraiser and we are so grateful for what she does.”
Darlington MP Peter Gibson raised Nancy’s wing walk attempt during Prime Minister’s question time in the House of Commons.
“I couldn’t believe it when I heard that – I cried,” said Nancy. “It is a really tough time for charities at the moment and we really have to try and help the hospice. When I think back to the work of Yvonne Rowe, who helped found the hospice, it would be terrible if we let it go. It is a very valuable facility which this area needs.”
On the work of the hospice and why she fundraises, she added: “I am a great lover of life and believe you should do what you want because you never know what is around the corner.
“I never thought my Brian would end up in St Teresa’s but he did after being told on Christmas Eve morning that he had cancer. I’ve always been passionate about St Teresa’s.
“I do a lot for the hospice and the community gets a lot back. It is such a precious service, it really is.”
If you want to donate to Nancy’s fundraiser for St Teresa’s Hospice, click here.
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