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Northern nan raises thousands for charity after ‘amazing’ 15,000ft skydive

61-year-old Jane Eccles from Cumbria has raised over £1,500 and counting for Carer Support South Lakes.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 7th July 2022

A daredevil Northern nan has raised over £1,500 and counting for a local charity after completing a 15,00ft skydive.

To mark 30 years since the start of the Carer Support South Lakes charity, and to raise some worthy funds for the Kendal-based organisation in the process, 61-year-old Jane Eccles from Flookburgh in Cumbria successfully completed her first-ever skydive by leaping from a whopping 15,000 feet.

There’s no denying that free-falling at 120mph isn’t for everyone, but Jane proudly said the entire experience was “absolutely amazing”.

If you’re unfamiliar with the charity, Carer Support South Lakes supports unpaid Carers of all ages across Cumbria, and provides them with access to information, emotional support, advocacy, financial support, and opportunities to take a much-needed break.

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It’s also a charity that’s close particularly close to Jane’s heart.

The mother of two sons and three stepchildren, and grandmother of five grandchildren, volunteers to support Young Carers at the charity part time, and said she felt she “wanted to do something to highlight the important work it does”.

Read more: Daredevil Mancs invited to abseil off a 26-storey building in new charity challenge

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61-year-old Jane Eccles successfully completed her first-ever skydive by leaping from a whopping 15,000 feet / Credit: Skydive North West

Jane completed the jump with local skydive company, Skydive North West, in tandem with professional skydiver Ed Roscoe at Cark Airfield in Flookburgh, and her family were out in full force to watch and support her.

Looking back on her thrilling experience, Jane told ITV Granada: “When we first arrived at the base, the people who had gone up earlier landed in the rain and I thought we might not get up – but the clouds broke, and we managed to do an amazing jump.

“Apparently, I was the noisiest one coming down.

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“All the others were very serene and came down not saying anything, while I was whooping, screaming and shouting.”

Read more: This 108-year-old Northern nan says red wine is the secret to a long life

The Cumbrian grandmother has raised over £1,500 and counting for Carer Support South Lakes / Credit: Skydive North West

Jane set up a dedicated JustGiving page for the skydive, and since taking the brave leap, has managed to raise over £1,500 and counting in donations – which she says she is “so grateful” for and “will make a huge difference”.

“I’m so grateful to all those people who have given money so far,” Jane continued.

“Donations, whether large or small, will make a huge difference to the charity and help it to continue its vital work with carers.”

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You can donate to Carer Support South Lakes via Jane’s JustGiving page here.

Featured Image – Skydive North West

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Crown Paints hit with more than 100 complaints over new ‘misogynistic’ and ‘offensive’ advert

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

A Northern-based paint company has been hit with more than 100 complaints over its new TV advert, which has been branded “offensive”.

Crown Paints – which is based in Darwen in Lancashire – released the advert in question earlier this month, and through a cast of actors, singers, and spoken word performers, it tells the story of a young couple named Hannah and Dave.

The couple were said to have met at an illegal rave, and are now expecting their first child together.

Lyrics from the advert’s jingle include: “Now a baby’s coming and they don’t know what it is. Hannah’s hoping for a girl, Dave’s just hoping that it’s his.

“They’re happy that their spare room’s no longer grey because there’s a baby on the way.”

Since its release and airing on TV screens across the UK, an Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) spokesman said it had received 150 complaints about the advert – which it is “currently assessing to determine if there is a potential problem under our rules and, if so, whether there are grounds for further action”.

The ASA says the majority of complaints are mainly focused on whether the content in the advert is appropriate to be shown on television, as well as many taking to social media and calling it out for being “totally derogatory” towards women.

Read more: PrettyLittleThing advert banned for ‘sexualising’ teen TikTok star

Comedian Jennie Eclair was one of the more prominent figures to complain to Crown Paints on social media earlier this week, tweeting: “Hey Crown Paints, get that offensive baby ad off air – what were you thinking!!!? What on earth possessed you?”

Author and podcast host, Daisy Buchanan, was one of the many people to welcome Eclair’s tweet and say in response: “I honestly thought it was me being mad”.

One viewer took to Twitter and said: “Totally derogatory of women, questioning her fidelity. Take it off because it won’t sell much paint.”

Others said it was “offensive”, “misogynistic”, and a “serious error of judgement”.

Crown Paints then responded to Eclair’s tweet saying: “Our ads are intended to give a humorous account of our characters’ stories. We appreciate that people have differing tastes when it comes to humour and whilst the ad has been broadly well received, we apologise if the remark has caused offence to anyone.”

But Eclair still said she felt that the advert “set up a scenario that implies a woman has possibly conned a man into fatherhood”.

Following both the growing online backlash, and the 150 official complaints about the advert, Crown Paints has issued a formal statement addressing the claims.

A spokesperson said: “This ad is one in a series that is intended to celebrate special moments in life in a humorous way.

“The characters of Hannah and Dave are shown to be in a happy relationship and preparing for their new arrival. There are no negative connotations intended from any of the lyrics and whilst the ad has been broadly well received, we recognise that people have differing tastes in humour.

“We apologise if any of the lines have caused offence.”

Featured Image – Crown Paints

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Experts warn that Flying Ant Day is imminent and it could be ‘any day’ now – but what is it?

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Gardening experts are warning that the annual phenomenon known as Flying Ant Day is right around the corner, and it could be “any day” now.

With temperatures having been soaring in Greater Manchester over the past couple of days, as the UK experienced the second heatwave of the summer, pest controllers were warning that an influx of “sugar-crazed” wasps was likely to come with the warm weather – but now, it turns out the wasps aren’t the online insects we need to brace for.

Flying Ant Day is apparently on its way too, and it could be here before we know it.

As a thunderstorm warning now in place for much of the country, with heavy rain, wind, and general stormy conditions forecast set to bring potential flooding, damage to buildings, and disruption, the change in weather could also bring flying ants.

Post-heatwave is usually considered to be the ideal time of year for the creatures fill the air in swarms, according to experts, but while the annual occurrence is called Flying Ant Day, most of the time, it isn’t just a one-day thing.

Read more: UK told to brace for ‘worst’ wasp invasion in years as heatwave arrives

But what actually is Flying Ant Day? What should we be expecting? And is there any way to make sure flying ants don’t get inside our homes?

What is Flying Ant Day?

To sum it up simply, Flying Ant Day – which is scientifically referred to as nuptial flight – is a natural annual event that sees countless of the flying insects take to the skies in a bid to avoid the heat.

It marks the day or time of year where virgin queens mate with males to start new colonies.

While it’s impossible to predict an exact day for the annual occurrence, there have been warnings that 2022’s Flying Ant Day could take place any time from 15 August, so we’re already a day overdue and it’s worth keeping an eye out.

Flying Ant Day – which is scientifically referred to as nuptial flight / Credit: Flickr

What are the experts saying?

“Most of us have been enjoying the heatwave, but while we’ve been making the most of the sun, a storm has been brewing,” explained Chris Bonnett – founder of Gardening Express.

“There is no specific day for Flying Ant Day, it’s usually just around mid to late August and it typically happens after a heatwave [and] the reason for this being that ants prefer humid weather and they use this time to get on the lookout for a new home and whilst that’s all well and good, it becomes a real nuisance for those of us who enjoy spending time in our gardens and outdoors.

“Ants in the UK aren’t dangerous, but they can be extremely irritating.”

How can I stop flying ants getting into my home?

Gardening Express has also given a handful of top tips to keep flying ants outside and stop them from entering into our homes.

  • Clean kitchen surfaces
  • Seal bins
  • Keep food out of sight
  • Mop floors
  • Deter them with peppermint oil

Featured Image – Flickr

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