Slimline Jacqui’ s ready for skydive after losing five-and-a-half stone

For most over-50s, the idea of jumping out of a plane at 15,000 feet would be terrifying. But former Angus policewoman Jacqui Low has used the sky-high goal as inspiration to help her shed a remarkable fiveand-a-half stones in just 10 months.

And Jacqui is about to tick a tandem skydive off her bucket list as a fundraiser for a canine charity close to her heart.

The 52-year-old will take to the skies over Perthshire on June 26 for Bravehound.

It trains dogs as companions to help heal the invisible wounds of troubled veterans.

In 2017, Jacqui gifted the charity a pup from the litter of her family’s sprocker spaniel, Fern.

It has transformed the life of a former soldier who struggled after leaving the Army.

A second dog from Fern’s litter of 11 has also become a Bravehound.

“The dogs have been saviours to their veterans,” said Jacqui.

“Both have said if it wasn’t for their dogs they wouldn’t be here today.”

Lockdown brought setbacks for Jacqui, both on a personal level and in her attempts to fundraise for the charity.

She used them as a motivation to fulfil her daredevil dream.

“A skydive has always been on my bucket list, but over the last few years I have been over the weight restriction to do a jump,” she said.

“After a few health issues and hospital stays in 2020/21, I knew I had to do something about my weight.

“I joined Slimming World Healthy eating plan in May 2021,” she said.

Just 10 months later she had reached her target weight in time for her birthday.

It meant Jacqui had lost a remarkable five-and-ahalf stone to go from more than 17st to 11st 10lbs.

“Obviously my health was the most important thing,” she said.

“But I’ve always wanted to do a skydive so that really kept going all the way through.”

Jacqui was a policewoman in Tayside and lived in Kirriemuir, but has now settled near Laurencekirk.

So she’s been an inspiration to other members of the Slimming World group there.

“The easy bit’s done – the hard part is keeping it off,” she said.

“I’m really looking forward to the skydive – but they might still have to kick me out of the plane when I get up there!”

Jacqui has set up a fundraising page at www. justgiving.com/ fundraising/jacquelinelow2 and is already well on the way to her £1,000 target.

Bravehound trains companion dogs for veterans diagnosed with conditions including PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), anxiety or depression.

The Scottish charity remains committed to the welfare of the dog and veteran over the pet’s lifetime.

And there is a special theme behind the name of each dog. They are all called after recipients of the Dickin Medal – the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross.

Jacqui’s pup was named Antis, a German shepherd which received the honour for Second World War gallantry.

The sprocker has changed the life of Tommy Masters, who struggled with alcoholism and PTSD after being medically discharged from the Army.

Antis even became a movie star for a film version of a book about his wartime namesake.

War Dog was penned by bestselling author Damien Lewis, a patron of Bravehound.

WEIGHTY MATTERS: Jacqui Low with two of her dogs before she became a super-slimmer and, right, as she is now ahead of her skydive challenge.