Daredevil pensioner, 82, to abseil down the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth for a second time

Fearless 82-year-old Julia Haviland is returning to Portsmouth to abseil the Spinnaker on Sunday, August 21, in aid of a historic vehicle project supported by her husband Geoff.

Julia, from Bedfordshire, was keen to return to the Tower after abseiling it just four years earlier, raising £1,000 for Marie Curie, and now she’s choosing to add her own contribution to a ‘passion’ her husband has held for many years.

The Riley Cars Archive Heritage Trust (RCAHT) is a registered charity dedicated to preserving and displaying historic documents and artefacts relating to the various Riley car manufacturing companies between 1898 and 1969.

Julia’s husband, Geoff Haviland, has been the prime mover in the making of a replica of the first Riley Car made in 1898 and is a Trustee of the RCAHT, based in Coventry.

Julie said: ‘I’ve been involved in Riley Car’s for 50 odd years, my husband restores old cars. I wanted to support the work that they’re doing for the Archive Heritage Trust.

‘I don’t do much in the workshop, I offer support in cups of tea, but this is a bit of a bigger challenge for me – I’ve got a few butterflies in my tummy already,’ she added.

Julia’s daughters, one of whom used to live in Gosport when Julia first fell in love with the area, have their reservations ahead of Julia’s abseil but are in full support of her venture.

‘People think I’m mad at my age, I’ve got to do things when the opportunity comes because you never know when you’ll get another chance,’ said Julia.

‘We just love the Historic Dockyard, we stayed there with our daughter who was over from Australia last week so she could see what I was getting myself into. She said I don’t know how you do it!

The charity abseil, hoping to raise £30,000 to help manufacture the replica, will be accompanied by a representative selection of pre-war Riley Cars parked on the esplanade below Spinnaker Tower.

‘It’s rather a lot of money, but we’re hoping that people all around the world will contribute,’ said Julia.

It’s hoped Victor Riley, the grandson of the marque’s founder, will attend Julia’s abseil.