Gran celebrates 90th birthday with 12,000ft skydive - 10 years after her first

15 August 2023 , 16:18

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Freefalling Hilary Oxley (Image: Chelsea Tooley / Headcorn / SWNS)

Fearless Hilary Oxley celebrated her 90th birthday by skydiving, joking that jumping out of the plane was “easier than it was getting on”.

Given the 12,000ft jump as a surprise birthday present by her family, she was also joined by two of her granddaughters. It was the second time she had completed a skydive - the first having come a decade earlier to mark her 80th birthday. The first to jump from the plane Hilary says sthe jump was less of an ordeal than doing the weekly shop.

Granddaughters Stephanie Russell, 41, and Daisy Higgs, 29, admitted being terrified before. But staff at Skydive Headcorn in Ashford, Kent, couldn’t believe how chilled out Hilary was about the situation. “You only live once,” she said afterwards.

“The experience is lovely - sometimes when I go shopping I’m more nervous doing that.It was absolutely brilliant – I’m so thrilled. Never in a million years when I did it when I was 80 did I think I would be here 10 years later.” The group arrived in Ashford, Kent, at 8.15am on Sunday, but strong winds delayed their ascent by eight hours.

Hilary with instructor after skydive (Skydive headcorn / SWNS)

It was around 4.15pm that afternoon when Hilary finally made the jump, having initially experienced problems boarding the small plane due to bleeding from her legs. But when it came to exiting the plane from a dizzying 2.3 miles up, Ms Oxley had no hesitation.

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“It was easier me coming out of a plane than it was getting on,” the pensioner said.“I still go shopping and I think, ‘What do I want?’. That’s more of an ordeal for me than what I’ve done here.” Despite her steely nerves, her grandaughters admitted they were more than a little scared.

Stephanie Russell admitted it was a prized family moment that would live long in their collective memory. She said: “It’s amazing for me and my sister... to share that memory with my nan is incredible.” As well as the surprise on her birthday on July 22, lucky Hilary, of Romford,East London, also won a holiday to Marbella from a scratchcard the same day.

Jane Buckle, 65, Managing Director at Skydive Headcorn said: “Hilary was great fun and very relaxed and thoroughly enjoyed herself. It’s a great achievement for a 90-year-old but not the oldest we’ve ever had. We had a 95-year-old lady jump earlier this year.”

Though Hilary admitted that two skydives were more than enough for now, she refused to rule out another when she turns 95.

Matthew Young