MORE than 200 daredevils with a head for heights abseiled from the roof of the John Radcliffe Hospital to raise money for its charity.

Bouncing down the side of a 100ft-tall building might not appeal to most as a fun weekend activity. Yet the challenged was embraced by about 220 thrill-seekers, with the aim of raising cash for the Oxford Hospitals Charity.

They descended from the roof of the Women’s Centre on Saturday and Sunday, in glorious sunshine.

The charity supports different departments at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust , such as the Children’s Hospital, Oxford Newborn Care Unit, the Stroke Unit, the Churchill Hospital and Banbury's Horton Hospital Children’s Ward.

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Gail Williams of the Oxford Hospitals Charity said: “We think this year's Great Big Hospital Abseil will raise well over £50,000, in fact it may even break our records. It’s been non-stop emotion and heroism.”

The biggest team of the weekend, and possibly ever, was Fenton’s Fighters who abseiled in a bid to raise cash for Kamran’s Ward – the home of Paediatric Oncology – where eight-year-old Fenton Tutty is being treated for leukaemia.

The team of 50 were joined in their dizzying challenge by Oxford United manager Karl Robinson, who swung by before the club's 3-0 win in the afternoon.

Fenton, who lives in Marston, Oxford, was signed by the club's under-nines earlier this year, before his diagnosis in May.

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His mum Emily, a nursing assistant at the children’s hospital, said: “We were raising money for the Children’s Hospital, because Fenton has been treated there.

“Fenton isn’t an in-patient any more, but the treatment for leukaemia takes three years. Since the diagnosis Kamran’s Ward have been fantastic. I work on the hospital's Tom’s Ward and the surgeons there have also been fantastic.

“We wanted to raise awareness and raise as much money as we could to give something back.”

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And she thanked the football club for getting involved, saying: "Oxford United have been fantastic. They have supported Fenton and donated things for us to sell in auctions.

“We would just like to say a massive thank you. I am not sure of the total amount yet, as a lot of people raised money the old fashioned way, but online at the moment we have £3,705.

Among the other fundraisers was Fran Telfare from Buckinghamshire, who had been part of a team of 30 doing the challenge in memory of her daughter Amy, who died in a car crash in Oxfordshire earlier this year.

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Fran Telfare with family

The team of 30 set up a fundraising page called Amy’s Legacy Abseil which has now racked up nearly 500 supporters who have given about £15,000 in cash.

They chose to raise funds for the The John Radcliffe Hospital's Children’s Critical Care Unit.

Speaking of the challenge, the 57-year-old said: “It was very scary going over the edge. I’d never done anything like that before.”

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Some of Fran's team were close family - including the partner of Amy and their son.

Click here to donate to Amy's legacy page

Click here to donate to Fenton's Fight page