AN adventurous grandmother is taking to the skies to raise money for a charity close to her heart. Pat Cook, 74, of Perrywinkle Close, Barkway, decided she would like to do a tandem sky dive after hearing that her grandson had completed the exhilarating j

AN adventurous grandmother is taking to the skies to raise money for a charity close to her heart.

Pat Cook, 74, of Perrywinkle Close, Barkway, decided she would like to do a tandem sky dive after hearing that her grandson had completed the exhilarating jump while travelling in Australia.

Pat, who has five children, said: "We were talking about my grandson's jump and I opened my mouth and said 'I wouldn't mind doing that'.

"I don't regret saying it in any way though."

Pat's husband Arthur, known as Nobby for most of his life, had Alzheimer's and died in October 2005.

Pat will be raising money for the Alzheimer's Society.

She said: "Alzheimer's doesn't kill you - it's all the things that come with it.

"It is just awful to watch someone you love disintegrate before your eyes.

"If something can be done to prevent it or give a better quality of life for longer, then I want to help."

Pat will be celebrating her 75th birthday the day after her jump of a lifetime.

She said: "I've said I don't want presents, just donations.

"Ideally, I'd love to raise £1,000, which is a big figure I know.

"My family think I'm mad. But, they think it's great.

"It's one of those things that you can look back on and say 'I did that'.

"I don't know why I opened my mouth, but I don't go back on what I've said.

"The enormity of everything is quite scary, but I'm so passionate about this now."

Pat, who had the chance to ride in a Ferrari on her last birthday, will complete the tandem sky dive at Chatteris Airfield in Cambridgeshire on July 20.

To sponsor Pat contact her on 07811057420.