Chrissie Miller has become a high flying hundred-year-old after fulfilling a once in a lifetime opportunity to travel in a hot air balloon.
Ms Miller and her main carer, Jacqui Malarkey, enjoyed an hour long flight, 1000ft over rural Perthshire in Scotland after staff at Bield's Glasgow Flexicare Service arranged the experience as part of their ‘Wishing Tree’ initiative.
Chrissie Miller
Ms Malarkey said: ”The hot air balloon ride was a really wonderful experience, Chrissie was absolutely delighted with the afternoon. The flight took about an hour and when we were back on the ground Chrissie was greeted with some whiskey and a birthday cake, which was a true surprise.
“This has been a great opportunity to showcase what Bield's Flexicare programme can offer its service users who might not otherwise have the opportunity to leave their homes.”
Commenting on the experience, Ms Miller stated: “It was wonderful, absolutely wonderful, I was way up in the clouds!”
Ms Miller receives care seven days a week at her home in Scotstounhill from Bield's Glasgow Flexicare Service. It aims to support older people who have memory difficulties or a diagnosis of dementia and promotes the need to keep people in their own homes and communities to live independent lives.
Bield's Glasgow Flexicare Service runs a Wishing Tree project which allows people, with the help of their key workers, to record their most personal wishes, add them to a luggage tag and hang them on a tree in the hope that their wish can come true.
Bernadette Farrell, Glasgow’s Flexicare manager, said: “The Wishing Tree Project is a fun way to go the extra mile for the people we care for, whether it’s reuniting our service users with distant relatives or making their birthday wishes come true – such as by sending them up in a hot air balloon.
“Chrissie has always wanted to travel in a hot air balloon, an idea sparked from foreign travel when she was younger. Chrissie has fond memories of travelling to Switzerland, Austria and even to the borders of Russia. She has also watched many air balloon flights from the ground but has not had the opportunity to go in one herself. So we were very proud that we could make this dream come true for her. I also heard from Chrissie that she was able to sing her favourite song ‘Up, Up and Away’ when she was on her balloon flight.”
Chrissie Miller and her carer Jacqui Malarkey
Ms Farrell added: “Flexicare is about helping older people stay in their community, ensuring that they can do the things that they want to do when they want to do them. Our trained and knowledgeable staff team can support service users to continue living independently by themselves for longer, all of which fulfils Bield’s 'Free to Be' philosophy.”
The complimentary experience was offered to Ms Miller by Virgin Balloon Flights.
Hannah Keane, marketing executive from Virgin Balloon Flights, said: “It was a privilege to have flown Chrissie and Jacqui. Knowing that we’ve made her 100th birthday wish come true is an absolute honour.
“Chrissie was a real character and to see her and all the other passengers enjoy their sky-high experience was incredible.”