Daredevil 86 year old takes part in 10,000ft skydive for vintage radio station

At 86 years old, Bognor Regis grandmother Myrtle Green is probably the last person you’d expect to jump out of a plane. But she already has. In 2018, she took to the skies and strapped on a parachute for St Wilfred’s Hospice and, later this month, she’ll do it again, this time for Angel Radio: a volunteer-led radio station in Havant, which plays classic tunes from the 40s and 50s.

Ms Green volunteers as a receptionist and occasional disc jockey for the station, which she says has been a source of comfort and purpose after her husband died five years ago: “I really enjoy going down there,” she said. “It gives me something to look forward to each week.”

Of course, Ms Green soon wound up with far more than she bargained for. In 2019, only a year after her first skydive, she abseiled down Portsmouth’s Spinnaker Tower in a hair-raising bid to raise money for Angel Radio. She said: “There are some wonderful views from the top of the tower. I took a long time to come down because I kept stopping for a look around. Unfortunately you can’t do that with a skydive!”

Whether it’s experience or bravado, Ms Green doesn’t seem at all scared by the 10,000ft drop that awaits her on June 18. In fact, she’s mostly just excited:

“I’m not scared. I’ve done it before and I really enjoyed it. I’ve got no fear of heights, so it’s not a problem for me,” she said.

“I don’t think it’s about adrenalin,” she added “It’s about the views. It’s a wonderful feeling, just floating down and enjoying the scenery.”

Angel Radio is a registered charity and relies on donations, which makes Myrtle just one part of a thriving community committed to keeping it alive: “we’ve got listeners in Germany, in America all over the world. It’s not just local” Ms Green said.

Ms Green’s last fundraiser, which saw her abseiling down Spinnaker Tower, raised more than £1,000 for the radio station, a success she’s hoping to repeat this time around.

To donate to Myrtle’s Skydive, which takes place on June 18, visit the Angel Radio website and donate through paypal, email [email protected] or call 0800 014 1955.

To find out more about Angel Radio, click here.