Who Is Manette Baillie? Meet the 102-Year-Old Military Veteran Who Just Became Britain's Oldest Skydiver
It’s one incredible feat to surpass 100 years of life, yet another entirely to spend your 102nd birthday by earning the title of Britain’s oldest skydiver. Meet Manette Baillie of Suffolk, England, who jumped out of a plane on Sunday, August 25, to celebrate her birthday and raise money for three charities. Unsurprisingly, her story is going viral.
“You must always look for something new,” Baillie told The Guardian before performing the jump. “I was once married to a paratrooper but have never done [a sky-dive] myself.”
Manette Baillie becomes Britain’s oldest skydiver at 102 years old
Baillie has raised more than 10,000 pounds of her 30,000-pound fundraising target for the East Anglian Air Ambulance, Motor Neurone Disease Association and her local Benhall and Sternfield Ex-servicemen’s and Village Club, which she says “is the heart and soul of our lovely community and is in need of considerable refurbishment.”
This is just the latest venture in a long life full of action, as Baillie served with the Women’s Royal Naval Service (Wrens) in Egypt during World War II.
Members of Baillie’s community, Benhall Green, which she has lived in since 1961, gathered that morning to cheer her on and greet her after her successful jump along with a crowd including family, friends and many other amazed onlookers. Upon a calm and graceful landing, the 102-year-old woman immediately described her experience as simply “wonderful.”
“When the door opened, I thought, ‘There is nothing more I can do or say. Just jump,’” Baillie told Sky News later on. “Well, I suppose I jumped. I remember my legs going out and it’s a kind of blur. I shut my eyes. We seem to travel at a very fast speed.”
Baillie said she began thinking about skydiving after hearing about a friend’s 85-year-old father who had done a parachute jump.
“If an 85-year-old man can do it, so can I,” she said at the time.
With the completion of this jump, she has broken the record for Britain’s oldest parachutist, which was previously set by Verdun Hayes in May 2017, when he jumped at the age of 101 and 38 days.
Before the jump, Baillie received messages of support including a personal letter from the Prince of Wales. Prince William, like many members of the royal family, too volunteered in the armed forces.
“Catherine and I hear you will be marking your 102nd birthday next week with a parachute jump!” he wrote in his letter. “Knowing you celebrated your 100th birthday by racing a Ferrari around Silverstone, we are not surprised. From my time with East Anglian Air Ambulance, I know how many lives are saved due to the generosity of people like you.”
Baillie said the charity holds a special place in her heart because an air ambulance saved her son’s life after a diving accident on the Isle of Wight in 1969.
Manette Baillie’s secret to living 102 years young
Of course, this spectacle has prompted many to ask Baillie for her tips for such longevity and courage.
“Don’t stop,” she offered before going up in the plane. “Just keeping going.”
Baillie continued by sharing some words of wisdom from an older friend who told her when he was in his nineties to never give up.
“Don’t give up anything until you’re absolutely forced to,” she said.
She offered a similar sentiment while speaking with BBC Radio 4.
“I really don’t do fear,” she said. “It’s no good.”
Baillie also said her fulfilling life was largely due to being around people and maintaining a sense of community.
“Keep busy, be interested in everything, be kind to those around you and let them be kind to you,” she added. “And don’t forget to party.”
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