Abseiling down the ArcellorMittal Orbit – Roshni’s fundraising story
Posted 6 years ago in the Challenges, Volunteers and fundraisers categories
Roshni here from The Wanderlust Within. Recently I took on Canine Partners charity challenge to freefall abseil off the highest sculpture in the UK, the ArcelorMittal Orbit in Stratford.
Roshni here from The Wanderlust Within. Recently I took on Canine Partners charity challenge to freefall abseil off the highest sculpture in the UK, the ArcelorMittal Orbit in Stratford. I’ve always
loved climbing but never been as comfortable with abseiling, so I thought it was the perfect reason to face my fear and get my adrenaline pumping!
Canine Partners are a great charity that train puppies to becomes assistance dogs and transform the lives of people with disabilities. They rely on donations to fund the creation of their life-transforming partnerships, that’s why it’s so important to get involved by either donating money, volunteering your time or taking part in one of the challenge days throughout the year. Everything from skydiving to cycling to experiences abroad.
The day was dry and a balmy 23 degrees, but unfortunately the blue skies were hidden by clouds. We were a small group of seven, and a few people worked for Canine Partners so were able to answer all my questions about puppy training (a good distraction for us all as we got kitted up). When ready we made our way up the elevators and were clipped into position by the team at Wire and Sky. We were abseiling two at a time but just as my instructor started to show me the ropes, the wind started to hit me quite hard and my stomach started to turn. I decided getting down quickly was the way to go, but first I would have to face my fear and lie back horizontally against the orbit before launching myself off the structure. I was nervous and moving my feet slowly but the instructor sensed my fear and talked me through it, and within a few moves my feet were dangling and no longer touching anything!
At that point I felt free, and all my fears were gone, I looked around at the panoramic views and then started to lower myself, I realised how to increase and decrease the speed of my freefall and felt comfortably in control. I looked down at the crowds of people enjoying their Sunday morning routines in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, some stopped to stare at me so I waved until they waved back.
I enjoyed the wind in my hair so I descended quickly and was met with a cheer from the support team at Canine Partners, and even a few kisses from the Labradors.
Why not step out of your comfort zone and take on a personal challenge?
It was a great experience and a very different way to spend a Sunday in London, so for anyone wanting to challenge themselves, and to help a good cause at the same time, I recommend doing one of Canine Partners’ challenges. Of course, you can also help without doing anything crazy, from donating money to volunteering your time to help train these amazing puppies and transform someones life.