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Man, 97, completes 120mph skydive | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
A 97-year-old man from Dorset is believed to have become Britain's oldest skydiver after jumping out of a plane at 10,000ft (3,048m). | |
George Moyse, who will celebrate his 98th birthday on Wednesday, landed safely on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire. | |
Mr Moyse, of Bournemouth, who was strapped to an instructor, carried out a freefall for the first 5,000ft (1,524m) at nearly 120mph (193kmh). | |
He is raising money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI). | |
Mr Moyse was due to be joined by his 43-year-old grandson, Edward Brewer, who was also hoping to complete a tandem jump in aid of the Royal Air Force Association. | |
'Grandfather's idea' | 'Grandfather's idea' |
Earlier, Mr Brewer, of Petersfield, Hampshire, said: "This is all my grandfather's idea, he has supported the RNLI all his life so they were the obvious beneficiaries when he decided he really wanted to do the jump. | |
"Both the volunteer lifeboat crew and lifeguards do a fantastic job to keep us safe on and in the water, and as a charity they receive no government funding at all, so to be able to do something so amazing and raise money for them is something my grandfather really wanted to do." | "Both the volunteer lifeboat crew and lifeguards do a fantastic job to keep us safe on and in the water, and as a charity they receive no government funding at all, so to be able to do something so amazing and raise money for them is something my grandfather really wanted to do." |
In 2008, RNLI lifeguards in the south west responded to about 8,400 incidents on the beach, helping nearly 10,000 people and saving 39 lives. | In 2008, RNLI lifeguards in the south west responded to about 8,400 incidents on the beach, helping nearly 10,000 people and saving 39 lives. |
The charity operates more than 230 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and has more than 100 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK. | The charity operates more than 230 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and has more than 100 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK. |