A WOMAN is celebrating her 80th birthday by skydiving for charity.

Dorothy Everett from Portesham is taking the plunge in aid of the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance and the Three Ells Trust.

The skydive was due to take place today at Dunkerswell airfield near Honiton provided the weather conditions are suitable.

Retired nurse Dorothy, who turned 80 on May 20, says she just wanted to do something different to mark her landmark birthday.

It will be a tandem jump so she will be strapped to an instructor and dropped from 7,000 feet, which will involve a freefall for about 15-20 seconds and then a few minutes to parachute to the ground.

Dorothy will be joined by her two friends Andy Murdoch who is 59, and Kim Dawl who is 75.

Andy is Dorothy's neighbour and a former Navy submariner officer who has some parachuting experience in the past, whilst Kim is a retired school headmistress who moved to Portesham to retire and met Dorothy through their shared hobby of card making.

The trio have already raised over £1,000 and hope to raise over £2,000 in total.

Dorothy said: "I just wanted to do something different for my 80th birthday.

"It's for good causes, and you are never too old to be adventurous and seize the day.

"I said six months ago I wanted to do it, so it has been a long time coming and it was finalised about six weeks ago.

"The view should be nice, and I just hope the weather is good as well."

In preparation Dorothy has been doing research and is quite looking forward to the event, even if she says her friends and family think she is crazy for doing it.

Dorothy chose to support the Dorset and Somerset Ambulance service and the Three Ells Trust, which aims to improve the lives of children with cancer or other life-limiting illnesses, because they are causes close to her heart.

If anyone wants to donate to their causes, they have a Just Giving set up for each.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/dorothy-everett1 for the Three Elles Trust, and https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/dorothy-everett for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.