West Lothian care home manager faces her fears for charity with 165ft abseil

The manager of a West Lothian care home is celebrating after facing her fears and abseiling down the Forth Road Bridge for charity.

Helen McLeod was joined by other members of her team from St Andrews Court Care Home in Uphall, including night care assistant Joanne Peters and her son Ben, for the 165ft challenge. They raised £237, which will be added to the £1,000 the group has already raised for the home – part of Bield, Scotland’s leading provider of housing, care and community services for older people - which provides dementia care for eight residents.

After completing the challenge, Miss McLeod said: “We are always encouraging service users to challenge themselves and find something new, so when we looked for an adventure we chose something that would be a personal and group challenge.

“I have done charity events in the past but this was definitely the most exciting and rewarding. We actively encourage our staff to get involved in fundraising efforts, and it was great to be joined by Joanne and Ben.

“Our service users thought we were a bit mad but fully supported us. I’m sure some would have loved to get involved.”

Brian Logan, Bield’s chief executive, said: “Recognising the role of fundraisers is very important as they play a crucial role within Bield.

“We are so grateful that our care givers, their family and friends take the time to raise money for our homes. In this case Helen and the group undertook an exceptional task and, in doing so, highlighted our central philosophy of being unburdened by fear to face events that may at first seem terrifying but turn out to be life changing, utterly rewarding experiences.

“We hope that more people will get involved with fundraising as it is of utmost importance to Bield and its residents.”