ALL action granny Elizabeth Ive proved she has nerves of steel when it comes to helping a good cause.

The grandmother-of-four took over the controls of a tank and a monster bridge building vehicle at the world-famous Bovington Tank Museum.

Her efforts will raise thousands of pounds for Naomi House - a Winchester-based children's hospice supporting families across Dorset.

Elizabeth, 69, from Fordingbridge said: "I was terrified at first and then I got started. I could have gone on for another half an hour. It was brilliant!"

She was part of a Tanks in Action display at the museum, which boasts the largest collection of armoured fighting vehicles in the world.

Her day out at Bovington included manoeuvring a mobile military bridge into place. "It was awe-inspiring and absolutely wonderful," she said. "I had engineers by my elbow in case I pressed the wrong button."

Elizabeth hopes to raise £5,000 for Naomi House which costs £1.5million a year to run and is currently supporting 200 families.

She first heard of the charity 18 months ago when friends lost their little girl.

Elizabeth said: "I think the people at Naomi House are amazing and I have great respect for them.

"They are still in touch with the family, they are pure magic."

Charity fund-raiser Hugh Thompson said: "It doesn't matter what age you are - you can always do something fairly whacky that attracts attention for charity.

"We are very grateful to Elizabeth for that."