Watch Harrogate nanna, 80, take on daring wing walk to raise hundreds of pounds for sight loss charity

Janet Mills, from Hampsthwaite, completed the challenge at Leeds East Airport earlier this month, standing on top of a plane as it flew through the skies, raising more than £800 for the Macular Society.

Despite the nerves of her family, Janet admitted she could not wait to take to the skies.

She said: "I wasn't at all worried, I was so excited actually.

"Everyone else was petrified for me and one of my grandchildren called me 'Mad Nanna', which made me feel even better actually.

"I have eight grandchildren who were doing much of the screaming on the day, but I could hear my daughter's scream too.”

Reflecting on the experience, Janet described the wing walk as one of the highlights of her life.

She said: "For sure the wing walk was one of the best things I've ever done.

"It's up there with travelling the world – places like South-East Asia, South America, China and Australia.

"In our 60s and into our late 70s we classed ourselves as the 'wrinkliest backpackers in town'."

Janet's challenge has so far raised £820 for the Macular Society, a national charity supporting people living with macular disease and funding research into the condition.

She said: "Getting £820 was something I never imagined.

"I've thanked so many people and they're just as overjoyed, even though they think I'm mad.

"I'm definitely up for doing something next year as well."

Janet was diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) nine years ago.

The condition, which has no cure, affects central vision and has meant regular hospital appointments for eye injections designed to slow its progression.

She said her eyesight has gradually deteriorated, forcing her to give up driving two years ago.

"I use glasses for long vision but the deterioration in my sight has been gradual over time," she explained.

"It's worsening for reading, particularly reading up close, and I decided to stop driving two years ago.

"It's horrible and I have to rely on my partner or public transport, but we do still get out and about."

Although she knows her sight will continue to deteriorate, Janet remains positive.

"The middle of my vision is a bit blurry, but it's not bad.

"I know one day I will be at the point of being sight impaired, but not just yet.

"I'm just going to go with the flow because what more can I do?

"I have tools to help me read, I have the injections and I'm happy how I am."

Janet said she is grateful for the treatment now available on the NHS, adding: "I'm very optimistic by the fact that we have these eye injections.

"They've not been around longer than about 20 years, so if I'd developed this a few years earlier I might have lost more of my sight by now.

"These injections keep sight loss at bay and for that I'm very pleased to have them – I think eventually we'll find a cure."

The Macular Society says almost 1.5 million people in the United Kingdom are living with macular disease, the biggest cause of sight loss.

The condition can leave people unable to drive, read or recognise faces, with age-related macular degeneration affecting more than 700,000 people, primarily those aged over 50.

Funds raised through challenges such as Janet's help the charity provide support services for people living with sight loss, as well as investing in research into future treatments and, ultimately, a cure.

For more information about the the Macular Society, visit https://www.macularsociety.org/