Betty Bromage, a 97-year-old woman from Cheltenham, has once again captured hearts and headlines by breaking her own Guinness World Record for being the oldest female wing walker. Speaking on BBC Breakfast on Wednesday, 6 August, Betty shared a defiant and uplifting message, asserting, “I’m old enough to do what I want.”
Since the age of 87, Betty has repeatedly taken to the skies, standing on the wings of aircraft mid-flight an impressive six times in total. But her adventurous spirit extends beyond the air - she has also tackled a challenging abseil down a tower in Cheltenham and experienced a thrilling zipwire ride in Snowdonia.
Despite her daring feats earning widespread admiration, Betty revealed that her family has had mixed feelings about her adventures. “Some of them were good, my daughter-in-law encouraged me all the way on all the things I’ve done,” she said. “Some of the family said I was mad and shouldn’t do it. But I can do what I want, I’m old enough to do what I want.”
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Her friends, too, consider her slightly eccentric yet applaud her dedication to charitable causes. She explained, “If you can help somebody, why not? If you do something silly, it doesn’t matter. You’ve got to do what you can. My whole life, I’ve always done things for other people, it’s been my way of life. I liked it, I get pleasure out of doing things but now I can’t do much.”
Betty’s remarkable resilience was especially evident following a stroke she suffered in August last year. Since then, she has been fundraising for the stroke unit at Cheltenham General Hospital through her wing-walking endeavours. Speaking about her recovery, the former nurse shared, “The stroke has still had an impact on my speech, but the rest of me, I’m fit as a fiddle, well, for a 97-year-old.”
When asked about the secret to her vitality and positive outlook, Betty said, “What’s the point in being miserable? Make the most of what we’ve got. Count your blessings and just do what you can. I don’t like the word ‘can’t’.”
Her extraordinary story serves as an inspiration to many, demonstrating that age is no barrier to pursuing one’s passions and helping others.
BBC Breakfast is broadcast daily from 6am on BBC One and is available on BBC iPlayer.