FIONA Kilpatrick-Cooper was 19 when her fascination with bombs began.
Serving in the army as an ammunition technician, she realised she was 'exhilarated' by the risk that comes with disposing of the powerful weapons and loved enabling people to live without fearing the ground they walked on.
In 2014, she joined the HALO Trust, a humanitarian mine-clearance organisation famous for its work with Princess Diana, as an ammunition technical officer. She has worked across the globe, including in the Ivory Coast, Sri Lanka, and Kosovo, clearing deadly explosives -including safe detonation of a 750lb aircraft bomb in Laos.
It's not a world you associate with the peaceful town of Marple. But Fiona now calls the leafy Stockport suburb home, organising bomb disposal plans and advising on issues all the way from Greater Manchester.
"Bomb disposal is incredibly exhilarating and incredibly enjoyable," she said, explaining her love of the unusual career. "I enjoy a little bit of risk that's associated with explosives, and the kind of dangers that that brings."
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