A charity abseil down the North West Tower of Wells Cathedral has raised more than £53,000 for charity.

In total 320 'Jubilee Jumpers' completed the 124-ft abseil across two weekends in June in front of large cheering crowds celebrating the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

In addition to supporting vital services provided by RUH Bath and funding the upkeep of Wells Cathedral, the majority of the funds will be invested in a 5th Education Programme which will support many disadvantaged children from the townships of South Africa from January 2023! This holistic support will ensure that they thrive both in and out of the classroom and provide them with an solid foundation for the future; the children supporters by our first education programme are currently at varsity achieving distinctions.

Dr Matt Crowcombe, Founder/CEO, SOS Africa, said: "Since the final abseiler touched safely down at the base of the North-West Tower, we have been inundated with messages saying how proud they feel after completing the challenge and raising so much for our causes. They also cannot wait for our next charity event which will take place at a new iconic venue in the South West in the autumn of next year.

"Special mention goes to Cooper and Tanner, The Browning Family and Chubb Bulleid who top our fundraising table, the former having raised nearly £2,800 throughout the event! We are also incredibly proud of 13-year-old Sam Jones who raised £1,000 singlehandedly, the most raised by an individual at the event.

"We would like to thank our abseil instructors Aardvark Endeavours, Wells Cathedral staff, the SOS Africa volunteers, Wells Rotary Club, our fearless fundraisers and their 2350 generous sponsors for their incredible support throughout the event! We cannot wait to show them the life-changing impact their bravery and generosity will make to children in desperate need of our support!"

For more information about SOS Africa, please visit: www.sosafrica.com or drop into the Charity Shop on Shepton Mallet High Street.