MORE than 400 fearless fundraisers have taken the plunge and abseiled down a 130ft wall at Ipswich Hospital.

MORE than 400 fearless fundraisers have taken the plunge and abseiled down a 130ft wall at Ipswich Hospital.

Army wives and NHS executives were among those to descend the nine storeys of the Maternity ward over the weekend.

The first to go over the top at just after 8am on Saturday morning was Andrew Reed, the hospital's chief executive.

Mr Reed, who was watched from below by his daughters, said; “It looks much higher from the top than it does from down below.

“I hadn't been worried about it all until the point when they asked me to lean back and step over the side of the building. But it all feels perfectly safe and they (the abseil staff) give you the feeling that you have done it 100 times before.”

Mr Reed said the �200 in sponsorship he has raised would go to the hospital's Happy Hearts appeal, which has a �45,000 target in order to pay for a heart scanner at the site.

Among those raising cash over the weekend was Clare Wiltshire, who has been seeking sponsorship for Help for Heroes.

Mrs Wiltshire's husband Richard was a member of the Black Watch.

Also making the descent was Mandy Dellar, 42, from Kesgrave, who was raising money for Heathside School in Ipswich, where her son Daniel is a pupil.

Daniel, aged six, has epilepsy, severe global delay and autistic spectrum disorder.

She said: “I was told he would never walk but he started at Heathside and within two weeks he was walking. I just though I wanted to do something for them - the people there are really nice and the children are absolutely lovely.”

Mrs Dellar has so far raised more than �600 for the minibus fund and hopes to collect even more over the summer.