AN 80-year-old man is getting ready to leap out of a plane to mark his landmark age in style.

Brian Pennington, from Golborne, celebrated his birthday back on June 23 and asked his children to buy him a sky dive experience as a gift to mark his special day.

He will do the sky dive on Sunday, September 1 at the Black Knights Parachute Centre near Lancaster.

Brian has been volunteering at Wigan and Leigh Hospice's Golborne shop once a week since he retired aged 73 from a job managing sheltered accommodation.

He said: “I started volunteering at the shop after I retired because I have got to have something to do.

“I like meeting people, getting out and about and people come in the shops who I haven’t seen in years.

“Back in the 1970s I did a sky dive at Burscough Airfield and I enjoyed jumping out and shouting ‘Eureka!’.

"So, a few months ago, when my three children asked what I wanted for my birthday, I said I wanted to do a parachute jump again.”

Brian is inviting people to sponsor him at the High Street shop.

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Wigan and Leigh Hospice retail manager Anna Hart said: “I’m delighted for Brian that he is getting the opportunity to do another sky dive.

"I did one myself in June and absolutely loved it.

“Brian not only volunteers his time every week to help other people but now he is raising money so that he can help even more.

"It’s a wonderful gesture and I hope his sky diving experience is as thrilling as it was the first time.”