Features / NHS
‘I’m not nervous yet, but I’m sure I will be!’
On September 15, 90-year-old Pat Lockett will be jumping 10,000 feet out of a plane during a skydive as part of a fundraising campaign for local hospitals charity Above & Beyond.
“I’m mostly excited,” Pat told Bristol24/7. “Funnily enough I’m not nervous as I’ll be strapped to an instructor – or I should hope!”
The money raised, as part of Above & Beyond’s fundraising initiative, will go to support Bristol’s city centre hospitals.
is needed now More than ever
Pat has set her target at a commendable £1000 but, as Amy Barnard-Smith, community fundraising officer for Above & Beyond, says: “Pat is one of Above & Beyond’s oldest skydivers ever so it’s no wonder she’s well on the way to her fundraising target.”
The cause is very important to Pat. Her husband Mike was treated for bladder cancer at Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre and Southmead Hosptial, and received support from St Peter’s Hospice, before he sadly passed away two years ago.
“They really were very kind to us. I have so much I want to give back. I hope it benefits the NHS in anyway it can, they certainly need it,” Pat said. “I also hope my skydive raises some awareness of bladder cancer.”
A former nurse herself, Pat’s lifelong service to the NHS has certainly influenced her desire to help. Pat was 18 when she became a nurse in 1947, one year before the NHS was established. She began as a student nurse at Charing Cross Hospital in 1949, completing her training until 1954.
“It was a wonderful time, I loved my job,” Pat remembers. “Because of who we were and what we did people were so grateful towards us. We didn’t have to pay on the buses or in restaurants, and sometimes the theatres would give us free tickets!”
Working as a nurse after World War Two presented its challenging cases: patients with severe injuries or suffering with tuberculosis. But Pat fondly remembers the personal relationships which acted as a silver lining: “Because we cared for them we did build great relationships. Sometimes after taking patients up for a drink, me and the other nurses would ride down the hill on the back of their wheelchairs.”
Pat’s career took her all across the country, and even to Ireland in 1975. After working for ten years for Western Care Association in County Mayo in Ireland, she returned to Bristol and offered her services in Keynsham, and at Cossham and Frenchay hospitals until she retired in 1998.
Pat said: “As a former nurse I know what the NHS means. I still meet up with former colleagues which is how I found out about the skydive.
“Luckily I’m okay with heights. I’m a bit nervous but more excited. Most people I’ve spoken to who have done one have said they would love to do it again. But I do think the best bit will be landing!”
To sponsor Pat, visit her Just Giving Page.
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