Spiderman Chris conquers fear of heights to raise over £7,000 for cancer care and research

WARRINGTON’s very own Spiderman, Chris Upham, conquered his fear of heights by abseiling down the side of the Clatterbridge Centre, raising over £7,000 for cancer care and research.

The 78-year-old retired detective smashed his goal of raising £500, with funds still coming in.

Speaking after the event, which had previously been postponed due to high winds, the Great Sankey grandad said: “Well, job done. This morning I abseiled down the 11-story Clatterbridge Centre in Liverpool dressed as Spiderman.
“The words ‘Thank You’ don’t seem enough to say to my lovely family and friends who have been so very generous in donating just over £7,000 in aid of cancer care and research. Between us we will make a difference and maybe one day we will be able to prevent cancer or at least cure them all.
“So a huge, huge THANK YOU to all you lovely people. You smashed my target of £500 by a mile and I am proud of all of you.”
He is took on the challenge to say thank you for the care members of his family have received from The Clatterbridge Cancer Charity.
Speaking before taking th eplunge Chris said: “I have been scared of heights all my life but I don’t know what the biggest challenge is, abseiling down 11 storeys of the hospital or dressing as Spiderman. But when you get to 78 and have spent most of your working life in the police, you get used to having the mickey taken out of you.”
The dad of two and grandad of eight, decided earlier this year to take part in the abseil down the side of The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Liverpool.
He has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and had recently lost a family member to cancer. He had also seen his niece ring the end-of-treatment bell following cancer treatment and learned his brother-in-law was in remission from the disease.
He added: “I wanted to do something tangible to show our gratitude to all the Clatterbridge locations, but especially The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Liverpool.
“This abseil is a huge challenge for me, but at 78 years of ag,e you don’t get many opportunities to test yourself.
“I also know from personal experience that my fear of heights is nothing in comparison to the fear someone has when they are first told they have cancer and so I decided to give it a go.”
While Chris, who is married to his childhood sweetheart Margie, concluded: “It was an enjoyable experience, a bit scary and I won’t be doing it again anytime soon!”