Ye cannae shove yer granny off a bus, as the old song goes, but apparently a plane is just fine

A Midlothian granny is to mark her upcoming 75th birthday by taking part in a parachute jump with her daughters and grandchildren to help raise funds for her local bowling group.

Joan Miller, from Gorebridge, will take on the daredevil experience in September to fundraise for new equipment for the Indoor Carpet Bowling group which she regularly attends at Gorebridge Leisure Centre.

All funds raised will pay for new bowls and carpets for the club, with any additional money to be given to the Gorebridge Gala Day.

Joan Miller, 74, from Gorebridge, in red top, pictured with her family. | Submitted

placeholder image — Joan Miller, 74, from Gorebridge, in red top, pictured with her family. | Submitted

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Joan, who is now retired, having previously run the Friar Tuck’s fish and chips van at Poltonhall with her husband for many years, will also be joined on the parachute jump by her two daughters, two granddaughters, two grandsons and their partners, on September 13, taking off from St Andrews Airfield.

She said: “I was originally doing this for myself, to mark my upcoming 75th birthday, and for the experience, to try new things. As I’m getting older, so this keeps things exciting.

“I saw a chap on the TV doing a parachute jump and I thought I could do that, so why not do it for my 75th birthday?

“I then said to my oldest daughter that she should do it with me, while my other daughter originally said she would come along to take photos, but then said she would join us too.

“And then my grandkids said they would join us, so it’s going to be a proper family affair, with three generations of our family taking part, it will be lovely.

“I’m looking forward to it, with a bit of dread. My grandkids are a bit nervous as well, but it will be fabulous, a day we will never forget as a family. If my parachute doesn't open then my last five minutes on earth will be happy, and with my family.

“I have got a lovely family who support me through everything. We are very close-knit. I’m very lucky. I have had a great run, I’m quite happy with my life, and this will be great fun.

“Due to that family connection, people said I should do it for charity. That’s not something I’ve ever enjoyed, asking people for money, but it should all go to good local causes, and hopefully make a difference local people in Gorebridge will notice.”

Joan explained that she got more active later in life, when her husband was in a care home suffering from Alzheimer's, and she had nothing to do during Covid.

She decided to take up walking, later joined by her daughter on longer walks in the Pentland Hills, with the pair bagging the Munro Lochnagar to mark Joan’s 70th birthday.

With arthritis affecting Joan’s knees, she had to find a less strenuous way to stay fit and healthy, and she joined the local bowling group.

She said: “I play bowls twice a week at the local leisure centre, it’s great fun, and I’ve made some lovely friends there. It’s not competitive, we have a laugh, and there’s always home baking.

“It’s opened up a whole new chapter in my life, with me going there since my husband went into care. It means a lot to me and I want to give back.

“The equipment is very old. The carpet we play on is very worn and we need to place dumbbells on it to keep it down, so people sometimes trip and hurt themselves.

“So this jump will hopefully raise money to pay for a new carpet and new bowls. People have already started donating, so we hope to raise the money needed, with any extra funds going to the local gala day.

“I just want the money to stay in Gorebridge. I have given to national charities in the past but you never see where it goes, but with this local people will see a difference and benefit from it.

“So the bowling club funds will help us old folk, and any money given to the gala day will benefit the children of Gorebridge.

“Sponsor sheets will be available for people to donate all over Gorebridge.”

You can donate to Joan and family’s parachute jump challenge fundraiser by finding sponsor forms at Gorebridge Leisure Centre and Gorebridge Health Centre.