THEY say you're only as old as you feel and seventy-year-old fundraiser Ron Skinner must be feeling pretty young as he prepares to jump out of a plane for charity.

The Abingdon father-of-two has already trekked across the Himalayas but is now ready to parachute from 10,000 feet to support Maggie's Oxford Centre at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford.

The pensioner was inspired by witnessing the opening of the cancer support centre in 2014 and has made it his mission for raise funds ever since.

At the age of 68 he raised more than £1,000 by completing a 16-day trek across Nepal and he is at it again in his 70s, and this time he is dragging his two daughters along.

He said: "It's a state of mind thing - I have always told my daughters if you think old, act old and dress old then you will feel old.

"Now I'm retired I have a lot of hobbies and it's great to do something for charity and raise money.

"I was part of the group that opened Maggie's back in July 2014 and in seeing it on its first day I realised what a good cause it was.

"It also made me think of my sister Frances, who won her battle with bowel cancer and I decided to start doing things to raise money for the centre."

The former employee at Didcot’s Tesco distribution centre is president of the Abingdon Lions Club – a charity which raises money for the needs of local people.

The Abingdon Lions opened the centre in July 2014 and donated almost £2,500 to help it along the way.

His two daughters Rebecca, 40 and Sarah, 38 will join him for his parachute jump and he hopes together they will raise more than £1,000.

The divorced father-of-two said his charity exploits were just one way he was making the most of his retirement.

He said: "It's not just the charity aspect of it though, once you retire you have the opportunity to do whatever you want to do.

"You need to make the most of it, I found some hobbies, I'm president of the Lions and have even trekked across the Himalayas.

Mr Skinner appeared unfazed by the thought of parachuting 10,000 feet onto Redlands Airfield in Swindon at the end of the month.

He said: "I'm not that nervous about the jump to be honest - there's nothing you can do until they push you out it's after that that's the problem."

He has raised £620 so far and you can donate to help him reach his £1,000 target by going to justgiving.com/ron-skinner111