A WIRRAL man is among four friends due to freefall abseil down the UK's tallest sculpture today in aid of people with motor neurone disease.

Chris Thurston, 40, will take on the challenging 114.5-metre high ArcelorMittal Orbit in Stratford, East London to raise money for the charity Challenging MND and people living with the condition.

Also in the team are Alex Gibson from Essex, John Chart from Beckenham and Steve Harper from Croydon.

All four are living with MND.

It is a special experience arranged for the group as beneficiaries of the charity Challenging MND, which provides memorable events and challenges for those living with MND.

They will be joined by family, friends and other supporters of Challenging MND.

Today's event is being carried out within COVID-secure guidelines.

Chris said: "While some things are off the menu, I am lucky that I retain a reasonable level of mobility and really wanted to bring myself out of my comfort zone and take on this challenge.

"Challenging MND also supported my friend Matthew Venables to join me in abseiling down the Orbit, and my family have travelled from the Wirral to support me."

Alex founded Challenging MND following his own diagnosis.

Throughout his life Alex has had a huge interest in sport and fitness, representing Great Britain in the decathlon and playing rugby for Barking; Brentwood; and Loughborough University. So far Alex has raised over £170,000 for charity.

Looking forward to today's abseil, he said: "There is nothing better than the adrenaline of an incredible challenge to make you feel that you can achieve anything.

"Descending from the UK’s highest freefall abseil with its 20 mile views across London and taking in St. Pauls, Canary Wharf and Wembley Stadium will most definitely deliver on that!

"Just like the ArcelorMittal Orbit, part of the Olympic legacy which helped transform East London, we want to help Challenging MND beneficiaries create lasting memories and achieve something they will never forget.

"None of us will allow MND to define us, and we hope that through providing these events to people living with the condition we can only help them reinforce that belief."

Fellow abseiler John Chart said: “I have done just about anything in my life I put my mind to in my typically determined way. This is going to be a shared family experience for us, as my wife Arlene, my son Christopher and Kamran, Arlene’s son will be doing it too.

"Abseiling down the ArcelorMittal Orbit is a way for me to show I will keep fighting for my family and for myself, I will not let MND define me.”

Team member Steve Harper said: "I'm doing this to gain happy memories, reminiscent of when I abseiled down a mountain cliff when I was 14 years old and to create great confidence of achieving the best I possibly can while I am able to.

"I look to everything positive and happy now. A lot of my intent is to help and support others, especially mentoring young people to help them in their careers.

"It is my fiancée’s son’s 18th birthday and he will be accompanying me so it will give him a great experience too.”

To support Challenging MND and make a donation, visit: https://www.challengingmnd.org/make-a-donation