Week 25 and 26- The Zip-Wire and getting a story in the press!

It all seems such a long time ago now - back when the summer holidays were looming enticingly close and the promise of long, lazy sun-filled days were excitingly anticipated.
Well they came those days, and even the sun, and as I remember back to July 12th, they are already feeling like a distant memory even though the holidays are not quite finished.
Which is why doing something memorable, something shared, something charged with emotion is a really important and significant thing to do. You don't want every day to run into the next seamlessly and unremarkably.
Of course not everyone wants to ride a zip-wire and to be honest that's not really what I'm advocating. I'm simply talking about making great memories with those that we love. Holidays are perfect for this. Think back to your own childhood memories, I'll bet a lot of them were on family holidays, I know mine were.
I guess the whole point of these 50 things was to create lasting memories of a landmark year, however,I did want one challenge to be not only quite dramatic but also to raise money for charity. I love the idea of doing something fun but at the same time knowing that it's also going to benefit others.
By now most people have seen the pictures of the zip-wire and local people may have seen the story in the North Wales Weekly News. I was pretty chuffed to make the front page via a teaser picture and then a full article inside with another photo. Lara did a brilliant job with the story.I hope it helped to raise a little more awareness for the charities. At the moment the total raised is around £500 which I'm pretty pleased with.

As for the experience it was totally brilliant! John came with me on the ride and we had quite a few supporters too. (Thanks folks, you were encouraging and helpful).The guys at Zip World were very professional and told us we'd find the mini zipper the most scary! Half the distance and speed, - how can that be??
Well it was true. The ground fell away quickly and we flew alarmingly close to the tops of trees. Plus of course, it was the first time up on the wire. Next by the time we'd ascended the mountainside of the former quarry in a bone shaking truck and admired the spectacular views the adrenaline was pumping and we knew there was only one way down!
All our fellow zippers had the foresight (and canniness) to bring their cameras, which meant they all sloped off to take photos at the summit, leaving John and I to edge rather nervously onto the platform completely alone and without that reassuring but absolutely necessary feeling of safety in numbers.
From them on, there was definitely no turning back. We were securely harnessed up, the go-pro was switched on and we awaited the final countdown. I hesitantly called out to John to say something encouraging (he didn't!- to be fair I'm not sure he heard) After what inevitably seemed like an eternity, the go- ahead was given and we were released.

Almost immediately I realised I wasn't terrified, not even scared. We soared through the air like birds, passing over the mounds of abandoned slate and then the gleaming lake - and it really did feel like flying. Not once did we feel the pull of g-force, nor the fear of falling or crashing. It was pure exhilaration, yes even enjoyment. The only negative for me was that I only remembered to look around towards the end and so I didn't appreciate the view as much as I should have.Which, needless to say, means only one thing!......... Exactly, I'll just have to do it again someday!

Here's a link to the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch
v=ZGtus16ciZE&feature=youtu.be