A VOLUNTEER for an Evesham-based charity spent an uncomfortable half hour on Tuesday abseiling up and down the tower at Malvern's Fire Station.

Dave Ash, aged 70, did the stunt to raise money for Caring Hands in the Vale, which is raising money for a van to help carry donations for its food bank and kitchen for the homeless.

Mr Ash, with the assistance of fire fighters, made three ascents and descents of the tower. He said: "I'd hoped to manage five, but three is what I could do in the time.

"I've never done anything like this before and I probably won't again. I can't say I enjoyed it, but I'm glad I did it. It was a humid day and the sweat was beading on my forehead."

He said it is too early to say how much the stunt has raised in total. He said: "I've raised a couple of hundred quid, but there's quite a few people who've been getting sponsorship in the churches, and we'll have to wait to see how much they raised."

Caring Hands in the Vale is the outreach arm of the Vale of Evesham Christian Centre, which seeks relieve poverty and need through practical support.