A 90-YEAR-OLD thrill seeker took to the sky to raise money for a Hampshire cause.

Stanley Full decided he wanted to do something special mark his 90th birthday.

The Andover resident surprised his loved ones when he announced he would be jumping 12,000ft from a plane for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance (HIOWAA) on Sunday, April 22.

He said: “I served for thirty years in the Royal Air Force, so the prospect of flying wasn’t scary to me; just the jumping part. But I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would recommend everyone to try it once.

“I chose to support Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance because I really admire the crew and all they do for the community.”

Stanley’s skydive challenge took place at Swansea Airport. He jumped with his grandson, Matthew Oakley, and son, Peter Fall with all three generations in the air at the same time.

Thanks to the generosity of his friends and family, Stanley smashed his £800 target and has so far raised over £2,600 for HIOWAA.

Ian Browning, community engagement manager at HIOWAA said: “Stanley is an inspiration to us all. He has shown true bravery and spirit by taking part in this skydive challenge for us and we’re all in awe of him. The money he raised will help to keep our Air Ambulance flying and saving lives. We cannot thank him enough.”

Stanley visited the HIOWAA Airbase in Thruxton on Friday, May 25 to present the cheque and meet the Critical Care Team.

He witnessed the HIOWAA aircraft, Helimed56, fly in to land from an earlier emergency call out, saying “It was a joy to see, and the kit they carry is very impressive.”

The Air Ambulance can be anywhere within Hampshire in 15 minutes and anywhere within the Isle of Wight within 20 minutes. It can land in areas the size of a tennis court and on almost any terrain.

The air ambulance critical care team is called out many times a day to attend road traffic collisions, sporting accidents, collapses and many other incidents

To find out more about Stanley fundraising, visit his Just Giving page at justgiving.com/fundraising/stan-full.