A Whitchurch pensioner has raised just under a thousand pounds for a hospital charity by taking on the world’s fastest zip wire.

Patricia Paddington, of Smallbrook Road, was given the adrenaline-fuelled experience as a gift for her 70th birthday and decided to get her friends and family to sponsor her as she took on the mile-long challenge which saw her reach speeds of up to 100 miles per hour.

She decided to donate the £950 raised by her sponsors to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham’s Haematology Unit and also to Karen’s Home from Home, the two-bedroom property near QEHB that offers free accommodation to the families of leukaemia patients undergoing treatment at the hospital.

Patricia’s daughter in law, Sally Higgs, received a stem cell transplant two years ago at QEHB.

While she was receiving her treatment, Patricia and her family members stayed in Karen’s Home from Home so that they did not have to travel to and from Shropshire each day.

“It was fantastic to be able to stay so close to the hospital for free,” she said.

“Now that Sally is doing much better, I wanted to give something back to those who had helped my family. The zip wire was fantastic, I loved all 58 seconds of it and I would do it again tomorrow.”

Sophie Carroll, fundraising Officer at QEHB Charity, added: “Patricia is an inspiration to all of us, what a fantastic way to raise money for a great cause.

“The money will go a long way to support patients and their families right here at QEHB.”