Guys Hospital Tower charity abseil – go over the edge for charity!

At 469 feet, Guys Hospital Tower is the tallest civilian abseil in the UK. Taking the plunge over the edge is not for the faint hearted, but supporters of The Evelina Children’s Hospital Appeal regularly face their fears in aid of the cause.

Gareth Richards from Dartford went to extreme lengths to thank the hospital for the life saving care his little boy Ralphy received and to celebrate his first birthday.

Weighing just 5lbs at four days old, Ralphy underwent life saving open heart surgery at the Evelina in 2007 to fix coarctation of the aorta – a narrowing of the major artery that carries blood away from the heart. After seven hours of surgery, a week in intensive care and four more in recovery Ralphy was sent home with his family. He is now a bouncing baby boy and visits the hospital every 6 months for check ups.

Not to be outdone, granddad Andrew and aunt Holly joined in the impressive descent – raising over £1,200 between them for the Evelina Appeal.

Gareth said: "We wanted to say thank-you and give something back for the brilliant care that our son received. The abseil was daunting but absolutely thrilling -I kept my mind on all the support and sponsorship that family and friends had dedicated, and managed to step over the edge and enjoy the descent."

Places are now available for the Guy’s Hospital Tower abseil on Saturday 2nd August 2008. For a minimum sponsorship of £200 and an entry fee of £20 you can make the daredevil descent in aid of the Evelina Children’s Hospital Appeal and Guy's and St Thomas' Charity.

Contact the Fundraising Team for more details and an entry form Tel: (0) 207 188 7744.