As we get older birthdays seem to come around at an increasing rate of knots but a woman from Plymouth decided quite a while ago to regularly mark the date with an opportunity to push herself to the absolute limit.

“As an adult, birthdays are a bit rubbish and so every year I find something to scare me in some way and this year I’ve really struggled,” says Jess Holliland who has now signed up for our charity abseil in September. 

“My friend was having treatment in Derriford when she saw the flyer she rang me and said I’ve found just the thing and when I read about it, I was sick to the stomach and so I booked straight away.”

The Derriford abseil is the latest annual adverse adventure for Jess who, in previous years, has completed a tandem skydive, learned to swim and then, last year, confronted her fear of the sea by jumping off cliffs with a coasteering group. She’s very serious about having a breathtaking birthday and, to prove it, she enrolled on a stand-up comedy course which ended with her performing her own terrifying gig. She says it’s a great way of celebrating life:

“It’s very much about conquering personal fears. I think as people we are very comfortable and the more comfortable and older we get the smaller we become. I think we lose some of that drive. I don’t want to get smaller. I think it’s essential to be out of our comfort zones to keep vibrant and to find opportunities to experience new things. We only get one go at this life so let’s make it matter.”

Jess has her actual birthday in the middle of August but the real celebration will be in September when she’s back on terra firma after abseiling from the 13th floor of Derriford and helping to raise money for Plymouth Hospitals Charity.

Why not join her by leaving your comfort zone and signing up for our abseil today: Click to find out more