He may be 88 years old, but after deciding he wanted to do something adventurous to raise money for St. Luke’s Hospice in Winsford, Cheshire, spritely octogenarian John Harvey wasn’t hanging around. He was, however, when he rode the world’s fastest zip wire, the Velocity 2, reaching speeds of over 80 miles an hour for the cause.
John, a resident of Belong care village, in Crewe, Cheshire, managed to rope in the care village’s experience coordinator, Natalie Ravenscroft, too. She joined him on his hair-raising challenge 500ft above Penryn Quarry, Bethesda, in the Snowdonia National Park, where the plucky duo were strapped into harnesses and launched along the mile-long zip wire, Europe’s longest.
John decided to ride the Velocity 2 to raise money for the hospice that cared for a friend before she passed away. He subsequently challenged Natalie to do the same, and she accepted. John is one of the oldest people ever to ride the Velocity 2.
John said: “It was fantastic! I really enjoyed it. It was like flying. I was very pleased to be able to do it to raise money for such a worthwhile cause, St Luke’s hospice, who do such wonderful work. The people there are brilliant and they provide such outstanding care for people of all ages.”
Natalie said: “When John said he wanted to ride the world’s fastest zip wire, I was ready to help make it happen. When he challenged me to ride the zip wire along with him, I said yes, but I was quietly terrified. It was really fun, though. I’d recommend it to anyone. I would love to do it again.”
You can still sponsor John and Natalie by visiting their Just Giving page at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/hannah-rouse2. Donations can also be made at the reception at Belong Crewe.
