Horsham woman's daredevil stunt for charity

Jacqui Pullen strapped herself onto the back of a plane as she completed a wing walk to raise funds for Parkinson’s UK.

The 54-year-old was diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s seven years ago and since then has vowed to continue completing high adrenaline challenges to support the cause.

The 12,000ft wing walk took place at Compton Abbas Airfield, in Wiltshire, on August 28 and saw Jacqui attached to the top of a Boeing Stearman aircraft.

She said: “I was terrified getting up on that aircraft. It was 20 years older than I am.

“Once I was up and we were travelling along the runway I was like it’s too late now I am just going to have to enjoy it because you have no way of communicating with the pilot without hand signals.”

Jacqui was original scheduled to take on the challenge in May but due to the weather it was postponed.

She said it was almost cancelled again but the black clouds cleared.

“If you haven’t done it I would say try it,” she said.

“I was waving at people. There were people walking their dogs and they were waving back.

“The feeling when you get down is that you are head and shoulders above everybody else.”

The wing walk was not the first challenge Jacqui has taken part in for the cause.

Last year she took to the skies again as she completed a sponsored skydive and in 2014 she abseiled down the Spinnaker tower in Portsmouth.

“The wing walk is the scariest one I have done but I would put it on a par with the skydive as being the most enjoyable,”she added.

In total Jacqui is aiming to raise more than £2,000 from all the events.

But the challenges are not just about raising money and she said there is an important message she is trying to spread.

“I have done this to partly raise awareness for Parkinson’s UK, partly to raise money for research to find a cure and the other thing is to let people who have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s know that their life is not over.

“It was to prove to myself I can do it and also to prove to other people who have just been diagnosed that your life doesn’t have to end because you have it. It actually means it’s just starting.

“I wouldn’t have considered doing half of the things before I got the kick up the backside.”

She has not decided on her next daredevil stunt but is planning on doing something next year.

To donate visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Jacqui-Pullen

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