A BRAVE gran has marked her 70th birthday by taking the plunge from 10,000ft.

Alison Robertson, of West Barns, jumped out of a plane over Fife last week and raised more than £600 for Leuchie House.

The gran-of-six told the Courier she was not worried about the adrenaline-pumping fundraiser, although her family asked her “are you off your rocker?”

She said: “Because it was my 70th birthday, I wanted to do something different.

“That was the reason behind me doing it.

“Then, I thought it would be nice to do it for a charity and decided to do it for Leuchie House because one of my friends from Dunbar Parish Church, Rachel Mylne, used to go to Leuchie House for respite.

“I wanted to do it for her then, sadly, she passed away and that is how it all came about.”

Originally, the jump was scheduled for July.

However, poor weather saw it called off, then called off again and again.

Finally, on August 24 she was given the call to head to Skydive St Andrews, based in Glenrothes, for the jump at the fourth time of asking.

She said: “If it is too cloudy, they cannot do it.

“If it is too windy, they cannot do it because you are 10,000-feet up in the air.

“I was meant to do it on the Monday last week and got a phone call on the Saturday morning saying could I come because they had extra spaces.”

A drive from her home on School Brae, West Barns, took her to the jump site and the time had finally come to take the plunge.

However, there were no butterflies or last minute nerves.

She said: “I was not worried at all.

“I was quite calm, quite happy and I don’t like taking off in an aeroplane but I did not even realise I was up in the air.

“I was second into the plane, attached to somebody for the tandem jump.

“I was last into the plane but first out.”

Daughter Heather Kilfara works at Leuchie House, which is just outside North Berwick, as office manager and company secretary.

The charity is dedicated to providing caring respite breaks for people and their families living with long-term conditions.

She was “proud” of her mum and said: “I was quite surprised when my mum told she wanted to do it really, although she said it was something she has wanted to do all her life.

“I did not realise she meant it seriously!

“It was very brave of her and I was very touched when she said she wanted to do it to raise money for Leuchie.”

To support Alison, go to https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/AlisonRobertson70