Christina Storie took the 14,000-foot plunge for charity at the North West Parachute Centre in Grange-over-Sands.

It was a lot different from the 57-year-old's last experience jumping out of a plane, on a 2,000-foot static line jump 25 years ago in aid of Greenpeace.

But the owner of Sun and Beauty Salon in Ramsey is certainly no stranger to extreme activities.

She has previously abseiled off Maughold Head to raise money for a breast cancer charity and driven heavy goods vehicles to boost the coffers of the Anthony Nolan Trust.

'I try to do something exciting for charity each year,' she said. 'It's a real buzz for me, but it means I can help other people at the same time.

'I'd always wanted to do a tandem sky dive but the chance doesn't come up all that often. So when I saw an advert from Crossroads looking for someone to jump for them, I took the chance.'

She added: 'When we jumped, it was so cold and noisy it took my breath away. But when the chute opened, it was very peaceful floating down to the ground while taking in all the scenery.'