Team abseil down Spinnaker Tower for Ickle Pickles

The team abseiled down the Spinnaker Tower at Gunwharf Quays to raise funds for Ickle Pickles.

The event, which took place on July 30, raised £11,843 for the charity, which specialises in supporting care for newborn babies with a number of health problems.

Sam Male, from Gosport, was one of those who took part in the challenge.

The 29-year-old got involved following a coffee morning with women who had difficulties giving birth.

Sam, a mum-of-one, says: ‘At first, I felt apprehensive.

‘A lot of people thought I was crazy to do it.

‘But I like to jump in and think about the consequences afterwards.’

Unsurprisingly, Sam was the first of the group to make the descent of the tower and added she enjoyed every minute of it.

‘Afterwards they asked us if we wanted to do it again next year, and we all jumped at the chance,’ she says.

The money raised from the event will be used to buy life-saving equipment such as incubators and ventilators for neo-natal care wards.

The NHS cares for more than 20,000 babies a year requiring intensive care due to premature birth or because of illness.

Neo-natal care is currently experiencing increasing financial pressure because of population increases and improvements in fertility treatment.

Organiser of the abseil Lorraine Blackburn, whose husband was among the volunteers, says: ‘From the get-go Sam was adamant that she wanted to do it.

‘All the people who took part have been amazing.

‘I want to say a big thank you to everyone involved.’

Ickle Pickles will be holding a sponsored abseil event next year and a summer party on September 3.

To get involved, contact Lorraine by emailing [email protected] or visit the website at icklepickles.org.