Abseil at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford is back after four years

The Great Big Hospital Abseil has been taking place for around 20 years, but had to be cancelled in 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic and again in 2022 following the death of the Queen.

Following the abseil’s return earlier this month, Gail Williams, events manager at Oxford Hospitals Charity, said: “It was so good to be back!

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“We were absolutely bowled over by the courage of our abseilers – absolutely everyone managed to complete the challenge, and there were smiles all round on this very sunny weekend.”

Pippa Parnell and Anna Brain, both Sisters on the Children’s Ward at the Horton General Hospital, were first to abseil on Sunday morning’s session.

Moment after getting her feet back on the ground, Pippa who lives in Brackley, said: “Wow, that was amazing! Getting over the edge was the hardest bit and were really quite nervous before we did it, but it feels amazing now.”

Anna Brain from Banbury added: “Once we started coming down the wall it all clicked in to place and loved it. We have now raised well around £700 so it was definitely worth it. What a thrill!”

Kelly Flaherty, from Oxford, was abseiling in memory of her baby son who passed away last May. She tackled the challenge with her friend Helen Austin, and had lots of family and friends cheering her on.

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She told us: “I feel quite elated now, it’s a good feeling to have done it. I was abseiling in memory of Joseph, because we were so supported by the hospital when he passed away last year – especially by the bereavement team at the Ashfield Trust.”

Jo O’Callaghan, a breast cancer nurse at the Churchill Hospital, abseiled with her husband Mark, to celebrate her 60th birthday.

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After the abseil she said: “It was really exhilarating! It was the first time I’ve ever done anything like this and it was amazing. I am a nurse specialist in the Breast Cancer Unit, and every patient I meet is facing a massive challenge – so I wanted to give something back to support those patients. Also the hospital charity does so much for patients and staff and this was a way to say thank you”

Katrina Randon, from Garsington entered a team with her husband Chris along with some of his work colleagues, Graham Rutterford and Bruce Valentine from Optek – an engineering company based in Abingdon.

Mrs Randon said: “We had such a fun day, it was brilliantly organised and there was such a nice atmosphere – we really value what Oxford Hospitals Charity does for our local hospitals.

‘Our son, Alan, who is now 15, has had a lot of treatment and surgeries at the Children’s Hospital over the years. He still goes in for regular check ups but we have really appreciated the support that the Children’s Hospital has given him during his time there.

“So far, team Optek has raised £640 with a final push to get more sponsors this week.

Another star on the day was Denise King from Didcot. Denise had always wanted to give abseiling a go but is scared of heights.

She said: “The initial lean over the edge was the scariest bit, I thought I was going to freeze, but once I got going it was fine.

“I enjoyed it so much that I am hoping to do it again with my daughter Emma.”

The next Oxford Hospitals Charity abseil is in September and costs £25 to enter. Visit www.hospitalcgarity.co.uk/abseil to find out more.

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