I survived!!

Sunday was the day of our big sponsored abseil at Devil's Gorge to raise funds for the North Staffs Special Adventure Playground, the charity for which I work. In the run up to the event I was far more anxious that the event would run smoothly than I was about the abseils themselves, so I must say that a huge sigh of relief was breathed at the end of the day when it was all over and had gone without any hitches (and all 31 participants got home alive!).

As for the actual abseils, I can quite honestly say that it was the most terrifying experience I have ever had! The first abseil was down a 70 degree slope, the second a free-hang 120ft abseil. I had the pleasure (?) of being first down, and managed to set a great example by losing my footing just after I started my descent and swinging into the rockface- I now have some lovely bruises to show off! After regaining my composure, I started again and despite my utter fear of heights, I didn't find the rest of the descent too bad. However, I can't even begin to explain how terrified I was for the first half of my second abseil- looking back now I don't know how I did it. I am genuinely scared of heights and descending to the edge of the overhang and then going off the edge is the hardest thing I have had to do, but you can't beat the feeling of achievement you get afterwards.

Despite the horror of dangling 120ft in the air on the end of a rope, it was a fantastic day and I am hopeful that we have raised in excess of £3500 which makes everything worthwhile. The rest of the story can be told in pictures:

Going over the edge

"Straighten your legs and lean back"- easier said than done when

you are 120ft off the ground and scared of heights.

"Smile for the camera"- you are having a laugh.

Point of no return

"Am I nearly there yet?"

Reaching terra firma

The second abseil- you can just see me emerging over the edge

"Straighten your legs and come off the wall"- whatever

Still reluctant to lose contact

"Eek, where's the wall gone?"

Well and truly hanging ....and I didn't look down once!

This is the look of relief that it was all over!

The sun has got his hat on

Good weekend? I decided that I would finally get round to painting my bathroom yesterday....on the hottest day of the year so far. I must be mad. I painted the walls and the ceiling and then gave up having nearly expired from heat exhaustion. Just the glossing left to do now...that will have to wait for my next weekend off.

I've been out in the garden today. It's still a little hot for me but not quite as oppressive as the last two days. It's been nice just being able to mooch around and relax, it's been a hectic couple of weeks and this week is going to be equally busy (except for Wednesday when I am skiving off work to go for some retail therapy with my mum and auntie, who is visiting for the week).

Next Sunday is the day of my BIG abseil. I'm more anxious about ensuring the event runs smoothly than I am about the actual abseil, though I am sure that on the day I will be a little more worried! I have a team of around 34 people taking part so I am hopeful that we should raise a significant amount of money. You can read more about the event in my previous post here and I will make sure some photos (and possibly video footage) appear next week. Wish me luck!

For now I shall leave you with some pictures of flowers (and a bumble bee!) from the garden.

Sponsored abseil

I decided at the beginning of the year that I was going to organise a sponsored event to raise much-needed funds for the charity for which I work. So what did I decide would be a good idea? Abseiling of course because I absolutely love heights- not. A team of around 25 of us (staff and supporters) will be risking life and limb on Sunday 30th May at Devil's Gorge in Mold, each of us doing two abseils- the first is down the rockface, but the second is a 120ft free hang abseil! We must be mad. I really am terrified of heights. Voley can vouch for this after once walking round Conway town walls with me (they are quite high with very little to prevent you from falling off- a rickety hand rail as I remember)...when I say walked, I was actually on my hands and knees! So doing this abseil is definitely going to be a challenge for me- I will do it, but someone may have to prise my fingers off the edge! It is for a worthwhile cause though so a little fear is fairly insignificant. The North Staffs Special Adventure Playground is a fantastic charity providing play and recreational facilities and activities for disabled children and young people. I have been involved now for 20 years and, although I may be a little biased, it really is a wonderful place. You can visit our website (click the link above) to see what we do, or to see a quick snippet of us in action click here- the link is to an episode of Celebrity Cash in the Attic in which Nick Hancock, our patron, appeared to raise money for us (the footage of the Playground is in the last minute or so- I kept well out of the way of the camera!). It costs us over £200 000 a year to keep the Playground open and the majority of this money we have to raise ourselves through applying for time-limited grants and general fundraising, so I am keen for this abseil to be a success. If anyone would like to sponsor me, we have our own fundraising page on JustGiving.com- clicking the link below will take you there!

Every penny raised will go directly towards providing a vital service in Staffordshire for disabled children and young people and their families.

..and wish me luck with my abseil! I will no doubt post some pictures after the event.