Thrill-seeking fundraisers faced their fears at a Hampshire fire station.

More than children and adults abseiled their way down the 50ft high Drill Tower at Fareham to raise money for The Rainbow Centre.

The ‘Age 8 – 80’ abseil event was organised by Fareham-based centre which supports children and adults on the south cast who have Cerebral Palsy, Parkinson’s, MS or recovering from a stroke or head injury.

First down the tower was Joseph Tillotson who was also celebrating his eighth birthday.

The birthday boy, who was was presented with a chocolate cake his descent, has raised almost £700 in sponsorship.

He said: “I wanted to take part so that I could help the children at The Rainbow Centre have better lives. I was really excited, but also a little bit petrified at the same time”.

Joseph’s grandfather recently had a stroke which made fundraising more of a personal mission for him and his family.

Others taking part included a team of young footballers from AFC Portchester Youth who have recently adopted the Centre as their charity.

Jess Greenwood, Events Fundraiser at The Rainbow Centre “We cannot say thank you enough to everyone that helped to make this event happen; from our abseilers (which included the Centre’s postman), to Fareham Fire Station and all of the local schools that helped with promoting the abseil to their pupils.

“For many of those that took part this was an enormous challenge, so we really admire them all for their courage and fundraising efforts. The abseil is set to raise just over £3000 for the charity which is going to make an incredible difference to the lives of the children and adults at The Rainbow Centre”.