Jack's inspirational message is to live life to the full

Jack enjoyed a ride on the big wheel which came to Chesterfield in 2018.

Jack Reynolds, who was one of the UK’s oldest men, had been ill since a fall in December and passed away surrounded by family on Saturday.

He was adored by millions of people not just here in the UK but right across the globe.

Jack, of Hollingwood, went viral and captured hearts when he completed the charity ice bucket challenge dressed in nothing but a pair of Union Jack boxer shorts aged 102.

That’s when he was bitten by the fundraising bug.

He went on to raise many thousands of pounds for several different charities with various challenges – and notched up four Guinness World Records.

Aged 104, he became the planet’s oldest person to get a tattoo – this was, of course, his nickname ‘Jacko’ – and a year later he was declared the oldest person to ride a rollercoaster when he enjoyed a day out at Flamingo Land.

At the age of 106 he achieved the title of the world’s oldest person to ride a zip wire – a 60-metre-high, 400-metre-long challenge at Go Ape which was broadcast live on breakfast TV – and he became the oldest person to be a supporting artist in a TV show at 107 when he appeared on the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks.

It became something of an annual tradition to see what record he would look to break next as his fundraising continued.

Since he passed away, messages of love and sympathy for his family have flooded in, from the many people who he met – as well as those who he never knew, but whose lives he touched by his inspirational personality.

He proved beyond all doubt that age needn’t be any barrier if you’re lucky enough to keep in good health during your later years.

But even if you don’t fancy celebrating your hundredth birthday with rollercoaster rides or zip-wire challenges, we should still all follow Jack’s example.

Especially right now, when there is so much uncertainty in the air and our lives seem more fragile than ever, Jack shows the importance of living your life to the full – of never taking anything for granted and of making every single moment count.