Last Sunday I did something very uncharacteristic. I abseiled down the Spinnaker Tower, in Portsmouth, in aid of Parity for Disability. The descent was 100 metres and took an eternity, during which I kept my eyes firmly on the wall in front of me. It was scary, but I was confident that I was in good hands. I knew they wouldn’t let anything dreadful happen to me.
I felt a great sense of achievement afterwards, and was particularly pleased that three of my grandchildren had seen me do it. My colleagues on Rushmoor Borough Council, Jacqui Vosper and Sue Carter, also came along to support me, as well as the Hampshire County Councillor for my ward, Carol Leversha.
Going up the tower in the lift felt a little surreal. Was I really going through with this? I, who have been a devout coward my entire life? We stepped out onto the lower viewing platform and were shepherded into a roped-off area where we were kitted out. I allowed myself to take in the stunning views, though I was careful to out and not down.
Trussed up like turkeys, the Parity team of seven were guided down a flight of steps to the crow’s nest from which we would begin our descent. It felt like I was going to my execution, with no possibility of escape. After our briefing, the first of our team stepped out. I came second, and was to take a different route down, to the left of the crow’s nest.
Following a few further instructions, I stepped over the fence onto a narrow ledge, then sat down and let my harness take my weight. My instructor took a photo and then I was on my way. I was asked to stop after a few metres for another photo from above, then it was just a question of concentrating on feeding my rope up and guiding my feet, which kept hitting small metal boxes set into the wall. Very annoying. I was coming down in a corner, which was tricky. I tried placing my feet on both walls, but that didn’t feel right, so I came down on one wall and just had to put up with the obstruction of the boxes. My only thought was to get down as soon as possible.
There were plenty of supporters from Parity, including two students, and it felt wonderful that I had actually done something substantive for the charity. It’s all well and good attending board meetings, etc, but this was the first fundraising exploit I had done since becoming a trustee.
We then had a long wait before our final member, Kelvin Smith, made his descent. Kelvin, also a trustee, has cerebral palsy, so special arrangements had to be made for him, hence the delay. Unfortunately, by the time Kelvin came down the weather had taken a turn for the worse and he endured squalling winds and torrential rain. I shall definitely be sponsoring him because he’s one of the bravest people I know, and one of the nicest.
