A BRAVE Hampshire granny has taken to the skies to prove you can still get on with life even with Parkinson's disease.

Marion Warner, who was diagnosed with the debilitating illness nine years ago, had gained her private pilot's licence back in 1967.

The 58-year-old had not flown a plane for around 30 years.

But yesterday the plucky former air stewardess took charge of a four-seater light aircraft to launch national Parkinson's Awareness Week in Hampshire.

Marion, of Stubbington, near Fareham, flew the Grumman Tiger from Blackbushe airport, near Fleet, to Daedalus, Lee-on-the-Solent, stopping en route at Southampton International Airport.

The mother-of-two said: "I was a bit nervous to start with but I feel exhilarated and very glad I have done it. Parkinson's does not mean that people should stop doing what they want to do.

"Sometimes I feel I could easily sit in a wheelchair because I get so exhausted but, although my physical condition is deteriorating, my mental faculties are still there."

Marion flew with her son-in-law Justin Lansley, a flying instructor with CabAir based at Blackbushe.