IT is probably fair to say that 72 year-old Belfast grandmother Margaret Kerr is a bit of an adrenaline junkie – but only for a good cause.
That is to say, she may not have taken her latest bold step on to the wings of an airplane if it weren't for her determination to raise £2,000 for the Alzheimer's Society in Northern Ireland as an ardent member of its record-breaking Down and Lisburn branch.
The fundraising group is the highest earning one for the charity in the north and, despite only having a handful of active members, managed to raise a staggering £65,000 last year.
There is something about Margaret, though, that makes you think she is a natural-born daredevil – with or without a cause – and that she would be ready and willing to be tied to the outside of a plane and fly gaily through the clouds purely for the craic.
She has already earned her wings for abseiling and sky diving (twice) and has taken to the track in a Formula One racing car for charity, alternating her efforts for the Alzheimer's Society and Leukaemia and Lymphoma NI.
Her mother had Alzheimer's disease and her husband died from lymphoma cancer two years ago, so both charities are close to the Moneyreagh woman's heart.
A long career in the mental health sector also made an impact, she says, eliciting an empathy for sufferers and also a recognition of a need for more public awareness generally around the topic of mental illness and dementia, which currently affects over 20,000 people in the north.
"I nursed my own mother when she was ill and, at the start, it was difficult coming to terms with what was happening to her," she says. "I would notice wee things, but I buried my head in the sand.
"I think that is why awareness is so important, so that people can recognise the early signs. Deep in my heart, I knew there was something going wrong with mum's mental health, but I just didn't want to believe it.
"Also, working 36 years in the mental health arena, I had a special place in my heart for people affected by this devastating disease."
Now, when she's not going – quite literally – out on a limb for the Alzheimer's Society, she is involved in other, less frenetic roles, such as befriending and activity groups, as well as helping out in regular awareness campaigns.
It all makes the retired day care officer pretty much a full-time volunteer, but, the septuagenarian and self-confessed "party animal" also finds time to cook and entertain guests at her Ballykeel Road home.
"Mum is dead 12 years ago this month and after she died I said, 'Margaret, you have to do something'."
The first thing she did was organise a fundraising barbecue – a rather tame event judging by her standards of late – but it started her off and she just kept going, even changing Alzheimer's groups after being 'poached' by a Lisburn member during a fundraising Memory Walk organised by the North Down and Ards branch.
"I decided I had to be more daring in order to raise more funds; I convinced myself that people would give me more of their hard-earned cash if I could only be more bold in my efforts for the Alzheimer's Society," she reasons.
"Then, I found it was great fun – a real adrenaline rush which kept me thinking of the next big thrill. Unfortunately, my family don't always feel the same excitement as me and I think they think I'm a little bit mad.
"My 14-year-old grandson thinks he has a cool granny, but my daughter is never too happy about my antics and worries about what I'll be doing next.
"When I was doing a sky dive once, she was in tears – she wasn't a child, she was in her 40s – and asked if she was there to see her mother die, but I never think about that. In fact, if after my first sky dive, if someone had suggested turning round and doing it again, I would have been away like a shot."
She says she feels no nerves, not even a fluttering, ahead of her first wing walking challenge with Life Changing Challenges at Damyn Hall Aerodrme in Essex on August 18, as it has been on her 'bucket list' for some time.
"I haven't given it a thought really, but I'm halfway through my fundraising target so I'm already thrilled," she enthuses. "I haven't the foggiest idea what type of plane it will be, how high up it will be going or for how long, but I do know that, because of my age, I had to obtain a doctor's letter saying I am fit and well to go through with it.
"I am doing the wing walk with two other girls associated with the Lisburn group – Nicola Meese and Sinead Hay. I call them 'the children', as they are just in their 20s. It will be a fun weekend."
Alzheimer's Society community fundraiser, Laura Summerbell, praised Margaret’s decision to take on the "huge challenge" to help raise money for the charity.
"It’s wonderful that Margaret is taking on wing walking to support Alzheimer’s Society – she is incredibly brave," she says.
"Margaret, along with her Down and Lisburn volunteer fundraising group, raised over £65,000 for the charity last year through a variety of events, including a charity golf tournament and collection buckets at local supermarkets.
"They have raised the most money out of any of our volunteering groups across the UK and, as Margaret’s upcoming challenge shows, they are committed to raise much more.
"Dementia devastates lives and until the day we find a cure, we need more people like Margaret to join us and do what they can – it doesn't have to be a wing walk."
So, when she's safely back on the ground, will that be the end of the stunts?
Not a chance – the extraordinary Margaret Kerr wants to sit on the back of a racing motorbike and "whoosh round a motorbike racing circuit" at 200 mph.
At least her long-suffering daughter can breathe a sigh of relief that she will settle for riding pillion and not consider taking the controls herself...
:: Anyone who would like to support Margaret in her wing walking challenge can visit the Just Giving page set up by Nicola Meese and Wacky Wing Walkers justgiving.com/fundraising/WackyWingWalkers
