Man, 79, 'euphoric' after charity skydive

Mr Hartridge has raised thousands of pounds by completing the skydive

A 79-year-old man has said he felt "euphoric" after completing his first skydive.

David Hartridge jumped from a plane at 13,000 feet (3,962m) on Saturday as part of a team raising money for the Loros Hospice in Leicester.

He told the BBC he had felt "a bit frightened" as he sat harnessed to an instructor, with his feet hanging out of the plane door so high in the sky.

"I was the last out of the plane," he said.

David Hartridge volunteers at the Loros Hospice

Describing the skydive, Mr Hartridge added: "When we jumped, we somersaulted and fell at 150mph before the rip cord was pulled.

"That was the worst bit because it jerked us up hundreds of feet again.

"In all, we were in the air for seven or eight minutes.

"The landing was quite hard but when we got down it I felt euphoric to have done it."

Mr Hartridge, from Groby, Leicestershire, has raised more than £4,500 by completing the skydive - which happened at an airfield in Peterborough - and helped his group of fellow fundraisers reach a total of £20,000.

'Full of admiration'

He said: "It was only at the end, when I saw the videos of myself that I realised I had a really wide smile all the way through."

Mr Hartridge, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year, has been a volunteer driver for Loros for ten years.

"Volunteering at Loros has helped me focus during my scans and radiotherapy treatment because I've met so many less fortunate than myself," he said.

'I'm full of admiration for the doctors and nurses there, who show such care and compassion."