Wing-walking Betty, 93, back in skies as thank you to hospice
A93-YEAR-OLD grandmother who has just completed her fifth wing-walk for charity said she was first inspired to strap herself to a plane by a chocolate bar advert on TV.
Betty Bromage, from Cheltenham, performed a full loop strapped to a plane over Rendcomb Airfield, near Cirencester last Thursday, as she raised funds for the palliative care charity Sue Ryder.
Ms Bromage, who took on the fundraising challenge with wing-walking team Aerosuperbatics, said the idea to take to the skies first came to her when she was watching an advert for a Cadbury’s Crunchie bar.
“I wanted to do this to prove to myself that I still can,” Ms Bromage said.
“Wing-walking is not something I had ever really thought about, but I wanted to raise funds for charity so I started to look into the things I could do.
“At my age I can’t run, so I looked for other ideas and took inspiration from the Crunchie wing-walking advert.
“I thought, ‘I reckon I could do that’ and that’s what started me off.”
Ms Bromage, who has arthritis in her neck and a pacemaker, has been fundraising since the age of 87 and has already raised more than £23,000 for local charities.
She decided to take on her latest challenge to support Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice as a thank you for caring for her sister-in-law.
“Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice helps so many people,” Ms Bromage said.
“They looked after my sister-in-law and they were so kind to her.
“They cared for a few of my friends over the years too. They are such a genuine charity.”
She added that she is “lucky” to have the support of her family, particularly her daughter-in-law and grandsons, who “back me up all the way”.
She said she wants to inspire others to “do some good” and hopes her fifth wing-walk will leave a lasting impression.
“I think we should all do some good and we need to help one another – that is what we are here for,” she said.
“There are a lot of very kind people out there and if we can help our neighbour and help our friend then we should.
“I have always tried to do that as it was the way I was brought up.”
To donate to Ms Bromage’s high-flying fundraiser visit: www.justgiving. com/fundraising/bettyswingwalk2022