AN ARGUS reporter will be among the first people in the world to abseil down the side of the British Airways i360.

Local government reporter Joel Adams will be harnessed to a rope and then he will leap from the open door of the glass pod at 450ft.

And Argus readers will be able to share his unique view of the city from mid-air as the experience will be live-streamed to the Argus website from a camera strapped to his forehead.

Joel now has just two months to raise £1,000 for children’s charity Rockinghorse which is the condition of entry for him and the 29 other people invited to take part.

The money raised will go towards the purchase of a new x-ray machine for premature babies at the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Kemp Town.

Joel said: “We heard about this great charity event from the i360 and the editor asked whether anyone in the newsroom fancied actually doing it.

“I’ve never skydived or abseiled.

“And actually I’m not very good with heights.

“So, thinking about it, I’m not entirely sure why I volunteered.”

The abseil will take place on March 17 after line testing was completed last week.

Unlike traditional abseiling where participants bounce backwards of a cliff face and rappel down, the fearless (or terrified) souls taking part in the “iDrop” will not bounce off the tower.

Instead the line will be tethered at the pod and on the ground.

Participants will have the option to be lowered to the ground at a constant rate of descent, controlled by the installation team from abseiling company Belay Rope Access or to control their own descent.

Director Iain Tindall said: “The technology comes from wind turbines - they’re devices that are used in wind turbines to evacuate people from the nacelles in case of an emergency.

“It’s interesting actually, we train a lot of Rampion people and the view of the Rampion is one of the highlights of the i360.

“The speed will be between one and three metres per second,

“What that means is Joel will get a fantastic, unique view of Brighton.

“The exposure is unbelievable, he’ll be four metres away from the tower so he’ll be completely in mid-air.

“I’m sure once the initial adrenaline rush and exposure has worn off, he’ll have a fantastically comfortable ride to the ground.”

To watch our video interview with Joel go to www.theargus.co.uk

To sponsor Joel go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/joeladamsidrop.

For more information about #iDropAbseil or to register, email Hannah.Seltzer@rockinghorse.org.uk.