Norwich man becomes oldest person to sky dive at Beccles Airfield at age 91

Philip Goldsmith (middle) becomes the oldest person to sky dive at Beccles Airfield (Image: Archant)

The 91-year-old jumped out of a plane at Beccles Airfield to raise money for the charity Age UK Norwich, becoming the oldest person to sky dive at the UK Parachuting centre.

Mr Goldsmith, from north Norwich, raised over £500 for the charity through the brave dive and the total 13 fundraising skydivers sponsored by Age UK raised almost £5000 combined.

To keep healthy - perhaps for future sky dives - Mr Goldsmith has a fitness routine.

'I play table tennis three times a week, for two hours at a time,' he said. 'The other players are all older people, like myself, but they're good players – so it's quite a workout.'

This was Mr Goldsmith's first time jumping out of a plane, but he's no stranger to challenging feats. He served as an army driver in the Second World War, then worked for Barnards iron works in the city. He has also done extensive volunteer and charity work during his career by being an active member of St John Ambulance. He later worked as an ambulance driver for Norwich City Council and for Age Concern, which is now Age UK.

Mr Goldsmith's timing for his skydiving feat could not be better: International Older People's Day is on October 1, helping to take a stand against ageism and to challenge stereotypes about ageing.

To learn more about Age UK Norwich, visit http://www.ageuk.org.uk/norwich/.