Saturday the 31st October and I wake up rather excited. This Saturday, wasn’t going to be any ordinary day. This day would be the day I abseil 120ft down the world famous Liver building. I peer out the window, no sign of rain and not too windy, it’s a good start. I dig out my trainers (not seen them in a while!) put on some comfy clothes and suddenly started to feel a twinge of nerves. I drag my boyfriend away from his PS3 (for moral support of course!) and off we head to meet my fellow ph dare devil buddies. As fate would have it, we meet in a bar around the corner – needless to say, the temptation for a drink is high but sadly prohibited. I guess if anyone’s going to jump off one of the UK’s tallest buildings, they may as well have a clear head! Feeling pretty calm now initial nervs have gone away, Helen seems confident too, as for Steve, I’ve got the suspicion he’d rather be elsewhere!
At registration we’re given a rather fetching black t-shirt to wear and some sweets. These soften the blow that we’ve got a 2 hour delay! The two hour wait allows for plenty of time to really realise what we’ve got ourselves into and watch the other participants. No one appears to be falling to their death, so all look’s good to me. There’s a large crowd of people watching, a DJ playing and a generally nice ambience to the day. Before we know it Group 2 at 2pm - aka team ph is up.
Once at the top of the building (but still inside) we’re fitted out in a harness, a helmet and some ridiculously big gardening style gloves!? After the long wait, I’m very eager to get it over with, I’m feeling decidedly confident about the whole thing. Helen, Steve and myself are lead outside on the top of the building to wait out turn. Helen goes first and I watch her disappear to begin her decent, I’m eager to have my turn. Steve lets me go next, he’s looking a bit a peaky and I wonder if he’s going to bail? Just then a fully grown, super tough looking man comes barging past us close to tears ‘Sod that’ he says! Uh oh, is it really that scary?
It’s finally my turn, a skinny little guy sucking a lolly attaches me to my ropes and instructs me to back my heels up the edge…it is the most unnatural thing to back up to the edge of a 120ft building! But once I’m over the edge, I’m loving it! It’s amazing to be that high up. I take in the views as I go down but it’s over in minutes, gutted. I want to do it again! I see Helen once I’m back on the ground and am glad to see Steve made it too! We’ve all done it!!
We all agree it was a brilliant experience a fantastic opportunity to raise money for The Stroke Association.
For our next challenge we’re thinking bigger and better….a sky dive? Watch this space…
