WHEN Stan Full took part in a charity skydive on his 90th birthday, you might have thought it was high time he put his daredevil days behind him.
Clearly Stan had other ideas.
The ex-RAF engine fitter, now 91, recently took the plunge once more and tackled the ‘fastest zip line in the world’ in the name of charity.
“As soon as I heard about it, I thought that’s something I’d like to do,” he said.
Stan, of Cedar Walk, was joined by his two children and three grandchildren, as well as his gym instructor, Melissa Tucker, as the group travelled to north Wales to take on the ‘Velocity 2’ zip line, over Penrhyn Quarry.
The mile-long zip line hits speeds over 100 miles per hour and with the rain pouring down on the day Stan took to the sky, it made for a bumpy ride.
He added: “When it took off I said, ‘Gordon Bennett!’ But after that I was just concentrating on keeping my false teeth in my mouth.”
Stan has now completed three separate skydives as well as the ‘world’s fastest’ zip line, raising thousands for charity in the process.
His most recent fundraiser was in aid of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance (HIOWAA) and he has since generated over £2,000 for the charity.
Donations have come from Stan and his family, as well as numerous donors via Just Giving and from the many groups and clubs he is a part of.
One of those groups is Dawn Breakers Silver, an exercise class for over 60s at Dawn Breakers gym, in Portway Industrial Estate. There he met Melissa who, inspired by Stan’s previous fundraising efforts, decided to get involved and join in with the recent zip line ride.
The classes Melissa runs are free of charge and open to anybody aged 60 or over, and Stan credits the group as one of the reasons he has been able to stay active into his 90s.
He also shared some of his tops tips for keeping healthy – good hobbies, a good diet and exercise, plus a degree of luck.
“Have a good hobby,” he said. “Personally I have a salad one day and the next I have lots of veg, and of course the most important thing of all is to exercise. Join a club.”
He added: “But my absolute certainty is it’s luck. At the end of the day I see so many people, and I’ve been to Naomi House and see all those children, and my current job is with a lady with spina bifida and she’s 28.
“Faced with all that it’s just luck.”
You can still donate to Stan’s fundraiser. To do so go to justgiving.com/fundraising/melissazip
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