Abseiling Thurso mum is just super
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A mum from Thurso descended from the roof of one of the north's most famous buildings to raise £1769 for charity.
Susan Andrew (35) abseiled down Dunrobin Castle in aid of the Archie Foundation for sick children.
Archie is the official charity of the Highland Children’s Unit at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness and other hospitals, and funds extras over and above what the NHS provides to transform the experience of being in hospital for local children.
Clad in a Superwoman outfit, Susan, mother of Ethan (7) and Lois (3), was one of around 100 people to abseil the castle at Golspie with others dressed up as Mad Hatters as well as Spiderman and Batman.
She aimed to raise around £500 for the charity but was stunned when her tally surpassed £1000 and continued to rise towards her latest total of £1769.
Susan decided to raise money for Archie following the birth of her daughter Lois, who still makes regular trips to the children’s unit.
She said: "It was amazing. There was lots of good energy and joking from the Archie team, abseil instructors and spectators watching.
"You definitely knew you were climbing high as I saw parts of the castle not open to the public. You could see all the way across to Golspie beach and beyond by the time we were at the abseil platform.
"It was all over very quickly and I wanted to do it all again."
Susan, who was cheered on Lois, husband Stuart and son Ethan, added: "Lots of friends loved seeing the cape from the Superwoman outfit flapping in the wind while I descended.
"Lois couldn’t wait to get me down and was repeatedly saying 'When is it Mummy's turn?'
"When we got back in the car she said, 'Mummy you’re a superhero woman, I'm proud of you.'"
Susan expressed her gratitude to all who helped her fundraising efforts.
"I am speechless at the amount of money raised," she said. "I was expecting a few hundred and to get so much is amazing.
"People are so kind and generous. I think a lot of friends feel we’ve been through so much with Lois and know her story so well they were happy to give.
"I even had relatives and friends of relatives in Canada and Australia donate."
The abseil in total raised more than £22,000 for the Archie Foundation.
The charity’s Highland fundraiser Dawn Cowie said: "Thank you so much to all of our abseilers who helped raise an incredible amount of money for Archie.
"This will make a huge difference to children in the Highlands.
"A special mention also goes to the staff at Dunrobin Castle for hosting our event which provided the perfect setting."
