BBC Radio Northampton to broadcast live abseiling down Lift Tower...with no mute button

BBC Radio Northampton’s Breakfast presenter and 40 brave listeners will mark the station’s 40th birthday in style – by abseiling down the world’s tallest permanent abseil tower.

The daring stunt is taking place later this week on Thursday, June 16, at Northampton’s iconic National Lift Tower, which at 127 metres is higher than London’s Big Ben clocktower.

BBC Radio Northampton’s Breakfast presenter Annabel Amos will be joined by 40 fearless listeners, all with inspirational stories, and ranging in age from 12 to well into their 70s.

The lift tower shares the same milestone birthday year with BBC Radio Northampton – having been officially opened by Her Majesty the Queen, in November 1982.

BBC Radio Northampton’s Breakfast show will be broadcast live from the top of the lift tower, with presenter Annabel Amos the first to take on the abseil: “I'm both thrilled and petrified in equal measure! I'm going to be live on the radio while dangling from a rope - there's no mute button so it could be interesting!”

Among the 40 volunteers is Rob Vaughan from Northampton, a window cleaner who isn’t a fan of heights.

“I drove past it last week and even though you can always see it in the distance, I was that close and looked up and thought – what am I doing! It’s quite frightening and so much higher than you think.”

Patricia Going will turn 79 this summer – and wants to make a point to her 15-year-old grandson.

“I told him jokingly when we passed it one day that I would abseil down it, and he just laughed his head off! Now’s a great opportunity to prove him wrong,” Patricia said.

And Michelle Usher says her reason for putting herself forward, was to mark a big transition in her life.

“I am disabled, with a few conditions including fibromyalgia, and it was a case of doing this while I still can. I’m also 22 months clear of a domestic abuse situation, so I wanted to do something for me,” Michelle added.