Triumphant Fareham woman climbs up the Spinnaker Tower four times for Mates in Mind charity

Jack Carthew, 39, has repeatedly climbed the Spinnaker Tower in an attempt to raise money for Mates in Mind, which is a charity that raises awareness of mental illness and suicide in the construction industry.

Jack, who works as a senior sales negotiator for Fareham construction company Civils and Lintels, took the decision to help raise money for the charity to also help raise awareness.

She tackled all 560 exhausting stairs at the tower, and then did it another three times to conquer her goal of climbing the height of the World’s tallest super crane, known as ‘Big Carl’.

The super crane sits at 250m and the Spinnaker Tower is 170m tall, so a determined Jack took on the challenge to help raise funds.

She said: ‘I had already taken part in a company bake sale to fundraise for Mates in Mind, but knew I wanted to do more to support this important cause.’

Jack's workplace, Civils and Lintels, tasked all 350 members of staff with the goal of raising £100 each in order to get the target of £35,000 by the end of the year, but Jack has currently raised £448.65 so far.

Jack added: ‘Sadly, male suicide happens more frequently in construction than any other industry and working in this industry myself, the cause is very close to my heart.

‘The decision to climb the steps of Spinnaker Tower was easy, I’m local and it’s such an iconic landmark in the South.’

The Spinnaker Tower frequently hosts people taking part in charity abseils, but Jack wanted to do something slightly different.

Tony Sammut, general manager at Spinnaker Tower, said: ‘We were delighted to welcome Jack to Spinnaker Tower to complete her stair-climbing challenge. It’s fair to say it took a little bit longer than taking our lift, which reaches the first viewing deck of the tower in just 28 seconds.

‘Whether it’s by climbing up the tower or abseiling down, we love to see people enjoying a challenge. I’d like to congratulate Jack for raising money for such a deserving charity.’