Abseilers drop in for Marine charity
BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN TAKE PLUNGE FOR NAVY VETERANS
THIS is the dizzying view from 180ft atop Newcastle’s Civic Centre - a drop which brave souls have been abseiling down to raise money for injured Marines.
The doors to the top of Newcastle Civic Centre’s tower were specially opened on Sunday as part of a series of fundraising events going on across the country for the Royal Marines Charity.
The charity supports Marine veterans, many of them injured, in their struggle to adapt to civilian life – veterans like dad-of-three Jason Burns, from South Shields. Jason’s life “instantaneously changed” when he was involved in a freak accident as his unit came under attack while he was serving in Afghanistan in 2011, after 26 years serving in the Royal Marines.
Returning to civilian life confined to a wheelchair and often in pain, the charity helped him and his family to move into an accessible home, and to provide a wheelchair which would enable him to go out with his family.
He said: “We had to move home for family support, and that’s where the charity came in and, in effect, saved our lives.
“The PTSD is ongoing, and I get treatment for that weekly, so that’s always a battle and it will be continuously, but it’s things when the charity can step in and help.
“Where I was physically, I couldn’t go out, I was just staying in the house, and it hurts when you see your family having to continue doing things without you, because of the children, so when they stepped in and got me this chair which can drive itself, already, within a week, that’s changed my life.”
Many people had paid hefty donations to take part in the event, while volunteers down on the ground were busy collecting donations and signing up more and more participants.
Looking slightly nervous at the top of the tower was 17-year-old Marine cadet Anna Postle.
Anna said: “I’m feeling very overwhelmed, in a good way. I like doing things like this that are a bit out of my comfort zone. And it’s good to be doing it for charity - I like to know that I’m getting something out of it and helping the charity at the same time.”
Marines had also gone the extra mile to ensure everyone who wanted to could take part in the daring event.
Waiting their turn at the bottom were David Pearce and Cat Ingoe. David, a former Paralympian who has cerebral palsy, uses a wheelchair and would have been unable to climb the final stairs leading to the roof - but burly Marines offered to carry him up so he would have the chance to take part.
Feeling confident ahead of the descent, David said he was looking forward to giving it a go - but insisted he wasn’t at all nervous about the drop.