A WOMAN who shed three stone has finally been able to fulfil her lifelong dream of throwing herself out of a plane.

Lucy Brown always wanted to take part in a skydive, but she told she was too big.

Novice jumpers must be accompanied by an instructor and the maximum weight limit to take the plunge is 15st. At 16st 6lbs, Mrs Brown was too heavy.

But last month, the former food scientist, of Wickham Place, in Banbury, was finally able to realise her dream after dropping from a size 22 to a size 16, weighing in at 13st 6lbs.

The 32-year-old also raised £1,000 for charity.

Mrs Brown said: “I have always wanted to do this but the minute you find out there is a weight limit, you just give up hope.

“The day that sealed it for me was when my father-in-law had been admitted to the John Radcliffe hospital with heart problems.

“The lift had broken and I had to walk up all these flights of stairs to get to him.

“I was absolutely knackered by the time I got to the top and suddenly found myself in a room full of, relatively young, people who were all suffering heart problems and I suddenly thought, ‘This could be me.’ “That was a wake up call for me.”

Mrs Brown, who said she had always been a large lady, puts her initial weight gain down to her former job where she was in charge of a team of food testers for leading brands and supermarkets.

After being made redundant last year she lost the weight by joining her local Slimming World class, where she is now a team leader, and embarking on a gentle fitness regime.

Money from the jump, which she did along with nine other people at Hinton Sky Diving Centre, will be donated to Dogs for the Disabled, a Banbury charity which trains dogs to help disabled people.

Mrs Brown said: “The work they do is so important.

“The more money I can raise for them, the more help they can give towards help for the people who desperately need it.

“The impact those dogs have on the lives of disabled people is priceless.

“I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who sponsored me, especially my team at Slimming World.”