AN OSWESTRY lady celebrated her 90th birthday in style after taking a helicopter ride over the region.

Audrey Lambourne of High Fawr Avenue was treated to the surprise by her family who organised the trip with Whizzard Helicopters from Welshpool airport.

Flying on a bright Autumn day, Audrey was given a bird's eye view of Powys Castle, Pistyll Rhaeadr and Lake Vyrnwy.

She said: "It was a lovely trip, such an exciting experience."

Audrey's daughter, Mary Gray, helped to organise the trip.

She said: "We wanted to do something special for her 90th birthday.

"She has always wanted to go in a hot air balloon which is something we looked at doing, but we found out that it can be quite a bumpy landing.

"She’s always been a fan of flying so we found that you can fly from Welshpool and booked a place for her.

"It was a very enjoyable experience for her – it was such a beautiful view over all of the hills.

"Flying over Lake Vyrnwy was amazing.

"We’ve never been in a helicopter before, you don’t realise you’re going over 100mph.

"We’ll have to get saving up for the 100th birthday now!"

Audrey's actual birthday takes place in the coming weeks, with the helicopter ride organised in advance to ensure good weather.

Mary added: "Now the helicopter ride is done, we'll be settling for a quieter celebration on her birthday with a tea party."