Gosport woman, 79, abseils down Spinnaker Tower for charity

Valerie Ford, 79, abseiled down the Spinnaker Tower to raise cash for Live Well With COPD.

Her husband Ray is a founding member of the charity, which supports people suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other breathing problems. Its aim is to help improve their quality of life.

Valerie wanted to do something to support Ray and the group, so decided to do the abseil.

She said: ‘I wanted to do something to support them.

‘I couldn’t run a marathon and I thought about shaving my hair, but I was worried it might not grow back.

‘Then I thought about abseiling down the Spinnaker Tower and it all went from there.’

Thanks to generous donations from friends and family, Valerie raised £1,624 for the charity.

She added: ‘I never expected to raise that much money. It was overwhelming how much people donated.’