Abseil From Brighton's i360 Raises Almost £12k For Children's Charity

Tuesday, 20 October 2020 06:00

By Jade McLean

Twenty people abseiled from the British Airways attraction last week in aid of Rockinghorse Children's Charity.

The abseil was held in the evening offering fundraisers a birds-eye view of Brighton's twinkling city lights as they dropped 450 feet.

Over £11,500 was raised for Rockinghorse, the official fundraising arm of the Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital in Brighton.

The "iDrop" event was organised by Wire and Sky, a sports adventure company, and run in a safe socially distanced way.

Participants included Christian and Gavin from Harrity Building and Construction, Alice Rivers Cripps, owner of Posh Totty Designs, several nurses from the Trevor Mann Baby Unit and a consultant from the Royal Sussex County Hospital.

Each one of them had supporters cheering them on from the ground who watched them glide down from the pod.

Adam Marshall, a teacher from Hove Park School said:

"It's been such a difficult year for so many people and whilst I have been giving to charity myself, I wanted to do more.

"I thought this was a great chance to raise money for a great cause along with challenging myself. And it certainly was a once in a lifetime experience!"

"Everyone has been so generous with their donations.

"The kids and staff have really got behind my efforts, I even got a cheer from my form group when they found out how much I had raised!

"I really want to thank all of them for their amazing support."

Another participant, Martin Duff, an A&E Consultant at the Sussex Royal Hospital, dressed as Duff man from the Simpsons.

He said:

"Dropping out of the pod at night was fantastic and you couldn't tell how far up we were in the dark!

"Working in the hospital I see the amazing work that the Royal Alex does for so many children, so I was really pleased to be able to support them."

Mollie Meredith, Fundraising Co-ordinator for Rockinghorse, accompanied the abseilers in the pod and, along with the team from Wire and Sky, helped them prepare for the jump.

She said:

"Everyone was in really good spirits, despite the nerves, and it was lovely that everyone was able to support each other.

"Life is really hard out there at the moment and understandably people have lots on their mind.

"But seeing how much our fundraisers have been able to collect is wonderful!

"Our funding is down by around £100,000 this year and that amount is likely to rise with the continuing restrictions, so anything we can do to re-coup some of these funds is really welcome."

The charity is organising a Christmas-themed iDrop event for December 12, so if you fancy taking the plunge and supporting them, check their website at: www.rockinghorse.org.uk/events or follow the charity on Facebook.