Daredevil fund-raisers taking on terrifying abseil off 26-storey tower in Manchester city centre for charity

Daredevil fund-raisers - including some prominent names in Manchester politics - will screw up their courage and abseil off the side of a 26-storey building in the city centre for charity.

The Lord Mayor of Manchester Coun Donna Ludford and Manchester City Council leader Coun Bev Craig will be among 100 people taking on a terrifying 270ft drop to raise money for We Love MCR.

In one of the biggest abseiling challenges Manchester has ever seen, the fund-raisers will descend down the side of One Regent Tower in Castlefield.

Their white-knuckle efforts will go towards supporting young people and communities across the city, with hopes that tens of thousands of pounds will be raised for the charity.

What is the abseiling challenge for We Love MCR and when is it taking place?

The abseiling challenge will take place over the weekend of Saturday 16 July and Sunday 17 July.

More than 100 fund-raisers are signed up to abseil off the top of the 26-storey One Regent Tower skyscraper and make their way down the 270ft vertical route to terra firma.

The tower is a notable landmark in the Castlefield area, with stunning views across Manchester to the east and Salford Quays to the west from the top.

Proceeds from the abseil are going to We Love MCR, which works with disadvantaged young people and communities across the city to give them a brighter future and address the challenges they face.

The charity works with Ukrainian refugees arriving in Manchester fleeing the Russian invasion of their country, runs the Stronger Communities Fund to help local groups and operates the Manchester’s Rising Stars Fund which helps young people access opportunities that might otherwise be out of their reach for financial reasons.

Some young people who have been helped by the latter fund will be at One Regent Tower over the weekend, including up-and-coming photographers who will help to record the event for posterity.

We Love MCR likes to put on high-profile and distinctly daredevil fund-raising challenges, with the white-knuckle descent from the tower following last year’s event which saw people take part in a firewalk over red-hot coals in St Peter’s Square.

The charity then put the question of what it should do next to the public in a search for mind-over-matter stunts, with abseiling off one of the city’s highest buildings coming out as the favourite among those who took part.

It is hoping that the weekend of abseiling will bring in as much as £30,000 to swell its coffers.

What has been said about the abseil?

The abseil is not the first time prominent figures at Manchester City Council have been going the extra mile to support We Love MCR this year, with a large group lacing up their trainers recently to take on the 24-mile Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge, a gruelling cross-country trek that involves reaching the summits of Pen-y-ghent. Whernside and Ingleborough.

Leader of Manchester City Council, Coun Bev Craig, said: “After climbing the Three Peaks of Yorkshire with 103 other fund-raisers on behalf of the charity earlier this month, I’m keen to get involved in another challenge for such a good cause.

“We Love MCR is a great charity that supports so many Mancunians, and I am very excited and also a bit terrified for the abseil on the 17th!”

Lord Mayor of Manchester Coun Donna Ludford, who is also the chair of trustees at We Love MCR, said: “Every penny we raise for We Love MCR goes to help local young people and our communities to fulfil their ambitions and potential and truly makes a world of difference.

“I’ve never abseiled before so I’m both nervous and excited to take part.”

Nick Clarke, We Love MCR communications and fund-raising officer, said: “You’ve got to say that at We Love MCR charity, just like our city, we don’t do things by halves.

“Last October we saw 50 of our brave supporters complete the only firewalk ever to take place right in the heart of the city centre, on St. Peter’s Square.

“So this year we had to go one better, and it’s resulted in well over 100 daredevil fundraisers preparing to descend 270 foot off a Castlefield tower, in the biggest abseil Manchester has ever seen.

“We’re hoping to raise £30,000 for our work empowering Manchester’s communities and changing the lives of its young people - they both make this city truly special.”