Morecambe mum braves Anfield Stadium abseil in aid of children's charity

Clare Lyden was among a group of 10 people who braved unseasonal weather conditions to abseil down the stadium in aid of charity.

The challenge also proved a unique way of Clare celebrating the success of her business – Events by All Occasions – which had reached 3,000 followers on her Facebook business page.

“Reaching so many followers is quite an achievement for me and so I wanted to do something different to celebrate,” Clare explained. “I was out of my comfort zone when I set up my business so I thought I’d do something out of my comfort zone again.”

She asked her followers for suggestions and heard that The Rainbow Hub was looking for people to take part in the Anfield abseil challenge so, as Clare is a Liverpool fan, it fitted the bill.

Although Clare had abseiled before on family holidays, she’d never abseiled down a building as high as Anfield, just over 100 foot.

To make the challenge even more difficult, the conditions were terrible.

“The weather couldn’t have been worse,” said Clare. “The rain was torrential and the wind was blowing us sideways, it was slippy and I’ve never been so cold for a long time.”

Despite the conditions, Clare completed the abseil in a matter of minutes, only stopping once to admire the Liverpool FC crest on the front of the stadium.

She was cheered on by her partner, Jack, her children, Lucy and Toby, and her great aunt who lives in Liverpool.

Clare’s abseiling achievement raised £270 for The Rainbow Hub which is a Lancashire-based charity providing facilities for children with disabilities and additional needs.

Clare completed the challenge just a day after the fourth anniversary of her business which she set up following the birth of her first child. Previously, she’d been a support worker and carer.

Clare’s next event will be an Artisan Fair at Garstang Arts Centre this Saturday, August 12 and she’s also organised a coach trip to Southport Flower Show on August 19. Among the events she’s running during autumn and winter will be a return to Morecambe’s Mazuma Stadium for a Christmas Market on November 25 and 26.