A Mastrick man has carried out a charity abseil in memory of his “bubbly” sister with a big heart.
On Saturday over 140 abseilers gathered at King’s Church in Bridge of Don to raise money for good causes.
Known as the Aberdeen Abseil, it is the first time the event – organised by Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland (SBH Scotland) and run by Sport Aberdeen – has returned to the site since Covid.
Fundraisers took on the 131ft high abseil off the side of the Northern Lights Tower at King’s Church and raised over £30,000 for several charities.
Among the group taking part was kitchen designer and vertigo sufferer Adrian Milne.
Raising money for SBH Scotland, the 53-year-old said he was doing it in memory of his sister Vivian who had been wheelchair-bound all her life.
Vivian never stopped helping others
For most of his life, Mr Milne believed his younger sister, a sufferer of cerebral palsy who also battled cancer, had Spina Bifida.
This is a condition caused when a baby’s spine and spinal cord do not develop properly in the womb, causing a gap in the spine.
While he found this was not actually the case, the Mastrick resident said it was a cause that meant a lot to Vivian.
He said: “My sister has always done things for charity. Every year she did the kilt walk, she did brave the shave and things like that.
“But she’s been in a wheelchair her entire life so I thought I’d do something for a charity that means a lot to her.”
‘I wanted to make my sister proud’
However, a few weeks after he signed up, his sister died aged 50.
While it was a devastating blow, Mr Milne said the loss only made him more determined to follow through with the abseil.
“I was still determined to do it for the charity because that’s what she would have done,” he said.
“She was in a wheelchair but it didn’t stop her living her best life. It put most of us to shame to be honest.
“She was a very independent woman and a very, very bubbly, happy person and she was always laughing and smiling regardless of what life was throwing at her.”
He added: “I was overweight when I registered. I was 126.2kg which is a fair weight to be fair but you have to be under 18 stone to be allowed to do it so I had to lose one and a half stone.
“Not being one to do things by halves and wanting to make my sister proud, I decided to set my goal of 100kg to be target weight by the Saturday.”
Abseil organisers ‘thrilled’ to be back
Mr Milne was “well chuffed” he managed to lose all but 300 grams before the abseil.
But, as a vertigo sufferer, Mr Milne got “extremely dizzy” at the top of the tower before his descent.
After remembering his sister and being cheered on by friends, he said: “I just composed myself and went for it.
“From then on it was just absolute buzz, a great experience I absolutely loved it. I would have gone straight back up again if I was allowed.”
Husband just spontaneously stepped in for someone who pulled out of a charity abseil. I can’t even go up that tower by the lift without the room spinning. #aberdeen #oldaecc #northernlightstower #bridgeofdon #kingschurch pic.twitter.com/pjS2oTkK3J
— Lindsay the Bruce (@LLBruce) June 10, 2023
SBH Scotland supports families living with life-long complex disabilities in Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire.
Lynsey Hamilton, community fundraising manager for the charity, said: “We are thrilled to have brought the Aberdeen Abseil back, it’s been a long time coming.
“A big thanks must go to Kings Church and the skilled team at Sport Aberdeen for helping us make it a reality.
“It’s just a joy to actually be able to watch everyone taking part and the excitement and thrill of everyone fundraising for us as well.”
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