TO kick-start a week of charity awareness, daring colleagues at a retail store descended 100m down an well-known landmark.

Sarah Tate and Mary Schooley, colleagues from Southern Co-op’s Bognor store, raised £800 for St Wilfrid’s Hospice in Chichester by abseiling down the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth.

But the pair’s challenge was just the start of a host of activities taking place during Charity Awareness Week.

Southern Co-op’s store in Hawthorn Road raised a total of £1842.92 thanks to the support of residents.

The fundraising activities included a bric-a-brac sale, cake sale, wear your pyjamas to work day, a hamper raffle, a book sale and guess the sweets in jar competition.

Sarah, who is already thinking up her next fundraising activity, said: “I am scared of heights but I thought an abseil was a great thing to do for charity.

“When we were standing upat the top together, we saw that we had to step on a little platform and then had to sit down in your harness over the edge.

“We didn’t know if we were both going to be able to do it but we both went for it and it was fantastic.

“Halfway through as I looked down the wind took my hands and feet away from the wall which was a bit scary.

“But overall it was fantastic and out of this world.

“St Wilfrid’s Hospice helped both of my friend’s parents. It is a great charity.”