She may be just shy of five foot tall but Carlisle's first citizen is a plucky pensioner who will reach new heights when she embarks on her first skydive in a few weeks time.

The Mayor of Carlisle, councillor Trish Vasey, has chosen the adventurous challenge to raise funds for the three charities she is supporting during her year in office.

They are mental health organisation Carlisle Eden Mind and the local branches of the Royal British Legion and Samaritans.

And the News & Star is calling on readers to rally around the mayor to give the city, and importantly, three good causes and those they support a boost.

Mrs Vasey, 73, is due to do her parachute jump from around 15,000 feet on March 4, weather permitting.

She will be travelling to Skydive North West in Flookburgh, in south Cumbria, to complete the feat.

The grandmother of four is relishing the thought of the challenge, while confessing the most adventurous thing she says she's ever done is walking up Helvellyn.

She said: "I really wanted to do something to raise the profile of these three wonderful charities that do great work and so I wanted to do something a little bit different.

"Yes I'm a pensioner and to be honest you wouldn't normally get me going on a merry-go-round. I don't do heights but this is a challenge for me."

She added: "The way I work, I'm not even thinking about it. Lots of people are asking me about it and I'm just going ahead and saying everything will be fine."


The plane Mrs Vasey will jump from The idea for the petrifying parachute jump emerged when Mrs Vasey took time out of her busy schedule of mayoral engagements to attend a family birthday party.

She said: "My nephew and a friend of his who skydives were there and said I could do it. I told them not to be silly and then people started saying I could give it a go. The pair of them also said they could get the idea moving so I thought why not?"

She added: "Now I want to do this role justice and achieve what we can for the charities."

Mrs Vasey's GP has also given her a clean bill of health to do the jump.

Family friend Steven Doran, of Yewdale Road in Carlisle, is a skydiving film and cameraman.

He will be accompanying Mrs Vasey during her descent, capturing every moment of the unforgettable experience on camera for her.

Also known as the North West Parachute Centre, the base is one of the longest established skydiving operations in Europe having been open for more than 40 years.

Solo and tandem skydives are available and the centre's dropzone boasts spectacular views of the Lake District and Morecambe Bay.

Mr Doran, who has made over 2,000 jumps, said: "I will be with her all the way capturing her memorable skydive with video and photos.

"I think it is great that Trish is doing this. It takes some adventurous courage, is a once in a lifetime experience and also a massive achievement to be able to say you have jumped out of a perfectly good aeroplane at nearly three miles above the ground.

"It is also a very unusual and unique way for a mayor to raise money for her chosen charities. I have certainly never filmed a mayor falling through the skies at 120mph above the lakes - and she will of course have to remove her chain for the jump!"

Just five days after her jump, Mrs Vasey will be hosting the Mayor of Carlisle's Charity Ball at The Shepherd's Inn, Rosehill.

Tickets are £40 per head for the black-tie ball and will include a welcome drink, three-course meal and a variety of entertainment.

A charity auction and raffle will be taking place on the night.

Tickets are available by emailing trish.vasey@carlisle.gov.uk or by calling 07964 750975.

* To show your support for the mayor and her three good causes, you can donate online at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/trish-vasey .