Harwell pensioner braves wing walk in memory of husband

Diana Baker, 77, of Jennings Lane in Harwell, will be strapped to a 1940’s biplane which will travel at speeds of up to 140mph and reach a heigh of 800ft.

Mrs Baker, who has a paralysed arm due to childhood polio, will be flying with AeroSuperBatics - the Guinness World Record holding wing walking team - on Friday, September 30.

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Diana on top of the 1940's biplane (Image: n/a)

The money she raises will go to The Lewy Body Society, a cause close to Mrs Baker’s heart. Her late husband, Tony Baker, died in 2020 from Lewy body dementia and this year would have been their diamond wedding anniversary.

Lewy body dementia is a still relatively unknown illness despite being the second most common type of dementia.

“No-one has ever heard of it,” said Mrs Baker. “I want that to change, so that people get diagnosed earlier. It’s very personal.”

She helps raise awareness of Lewy body dementia as well as fundraising in various ways to support the charity’s work to improve diagnosis and treatment.

Mrs Baker refuses to let her own disability hold her back. “People often don’t even realise that I can’t use one arm because it’s never stopped me from doing anything,” she said.

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“My motto has always been ‘where there’s a will there’s a way’.”

She is well known in Harwell, having lived in the area since the 1960s. A former nursery nurse, she worked for seven years at Harwell School, 15 years at Harwell Nursery School and then back again for eight years at Harwell Primary School.

Diana hopes to raise £3,000

Mrs Baker is also actively involved in the community, helping to run mother and toddler groups at St Matthew’s Church in Harwell, as well as helping at The Harwellian - the Harwell Sports and Social Club.

She’s also a volunteer for DAWN, the Didcot and Wantage talking newspaper for the blind. She also loves to bake which comes in handy when making goods for charity cake stalls.

“I always loved working so it’s just natural to keep on volunteering,” she said. “I’m incredibly lucky that I have always loved what I do - now I can’t wait to get on that plane.”

The Gloucestershire based Charity Learning Consortium, an eLearning organisation founded by Mrs Baker’s son, Martin Baker, is paying for the wing walk itself eliminating any expenses so that all money raised goes directly to The Lewy Body Society.

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The wing walk will take place at Rendcomb Airfield in Cirencester.

To donate, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/dis-daring-wingwalk

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Read more from this author

This story was written by Gee Harland, she joined the team in 2022 as a senior multimedia reporter.

Gee covers Wallingford and Didcot.

Get in touch with her by emailing: Gee.harland@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @Geeharland

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