As simple as it gets to arrange any charity abseil event...

Charity abseilers from brittania building society for Clic sargent. 2006Welcome to Charity Abseils.co.uk, this site should give you all the information you need to set up and run an organised fundraising charity abseil event safely, and very successfully. Rock and Ice offer a professional service to the fundraising sector that is growing in size every year. Our expertise will allow you to get on with the job of finding abseil applicants, not spend it worrying about technical and safety issues.
See how easy it is to bring in £1,000's for your charity.

 

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Rock and Ice 'the friendly UK based charity abseil company'

 


First of all you need a building [ tall or small ] that is suitable, or you can bring your event to us, we often have access to a 100' viaduct (we are based in Ashbourne, Derbyshire).

When you have chosen a suitable building we will come out and perform a risk assessment for your abseil. The risk assessment is very important as it allows us to check out the whole building for suitability and assess the anchors and roof space as required. We also provide you with a method statement.

Once this has been carried out we can give you a final quote for the charity abseil and can advise on maximum numbers of abseilers we can handle on the day.


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Buildings and structures suitable for abseiling from

Many buildings are suitable and structures like bridges and viaducts make excellent abseil points. How do you find a building? We find it helps if you make a request on the local radio stations as many businesses like to be associated with charitable organisations. You can get some interest by contacting local newspapers requesting that local businesses help by letting you utilise thier buildings for the abseil. Use this opportunity to find a few applicants for the abseil too!
Hospitals, University buildings and Fire station- fire towers all make good venues for charity abseil events.
Ask to speak to the Building Manager or the person responsible for health and safety at work to request initial permission.

Some buildings with pitched roofs may be unsuitable, seek those with a flat roof space preferably as they tend to be more suited to our needs. Please send photo's of any buildings to us via email for a visual inspection as it may save disappointment later [ send pictures of the roof space from several angles and the sides from a reasonable distance for best effect ] See our gallery for a few examples of good venues.

Health and Safety

Rock and Ice are specialists in the field of mountaineering and rock climbing [this includes abseiling] We are AALA registered - Registration number: L4596/R1374 and are full members of AMI [ the Association of Mountaineering Instructors] We will keep all participants safe including any press or camera teams present on the day. We are currently exempt from normal HSE working at height regulations due to the specialist nature of our work, see here. With this in mind we still respect working at height and take all necessary precautions to keep everyone safe at all times, it's what we do best. Richard Hogan MIA [ director of Rock and Ice ] has worked in the steeplejack trade as a lightning conductor fitter and has extensive experience working on roofs of all types- he is well qualified to carry out a risk assessment on the structure for suitability.

Qualifications for charity abseil events

ami and aala logos
It's a fact - you don't need to be qualified to work as an abseil instructor in the UK!
This is why we display the AMI and AALA logos - they demonstrate we are fully qualified to work in this field, and teach with credibility. We have passed scrutiny by the HSE appointed government body AALA for working in extreme locations with adults and children alike. The BMC (governing body for mountaineering and rock climbing in the UK) recommend you use MIA, MIC or BMG qualified instructors to run the events. If you choose not to use our services, please look for the above logos when choosing a reputable provider.
We always have an AMI member directing the charity abseil event, most likely you will find all Rock and Ice staff are senior instructors on the day.

Insurance cover

A huge 5 million public liability insurance covers the participants during the event. We should add the fact that
Voluntary Helpers and the Interest [ Indemnity to ] of Principals [ probably you ] is also included within the insurance, just in case a claim does arise. We are very pleased to add we have never had to claim on our insurance. Employers Liability insurance is also provided as standard.

Personal accident insurance for each participant can be included at a small additional cost.
SCD logo


 

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Costs involved [unavoidable]

We don't shy away from making a profit - it ensures we stay in business, but we want the charity to benefit too.
We keep our costs low, we charge less than a third of some other companies purporting to be 'specialists' in this field'. We utilise any resources you have to make this happen, so don't be surprised if we ask for help on the day to organise the groups by bringing them to us and taking them off the ropes at the bottom [we will train you to do this in the morning - it takes a few minutes only]

The prices depend on how many instructors and ropes required. Also if a building is over 50m [150'] in height we may need to buy in specialist ropes - these are charged to the event organisers at cost. We have arrangements to buy these in at trade price from the manufacturers which makes a massive difference on your budget.

What is abseiling?

Abseiling [abbing] is sliding down a fixed rope, often using a climbing harness and a friction device to control the speed of the descent. The technique is used primarily as a means of descent from a rock climb or a mountain. Charity abseils differ as they are set up by professional instructors who have full control of each participant by utilising a safety back up rope and a releasable main rope [ in case of a stuck abseiler ] Therefore if a participant was to get an item of clothing jammed, the instructor can take over instantly, and release pressure on the abseiler or even lower them to the ground safely.

Popular questions and answers

  1. Have you got pictures we can use for promotional flyers etc? Yes please ask us for details.
  2. Do you give certificates for successful participants? We have a template for your use, please request one if required.
  3. Are Rock and Ice staff first aid trained? Yes.
  4. Do we need St Johns or the Red Cross there on standby? No our instructors are trained first aiders.
  5. Is your equipment regularly inspected? We regularly check all equipment and ropes, these are often replaced on an annual basis.
  6. Do you have a child protection policy? Yes we have a vulnerable adult and child protection policy in place as defined by the AMI code of practice.
  7. Do you provide scaffolding? Scaffolding is arranged at extra cost if required. This may be supplied and installed by a third party.
  8. Do you have testimonials from previous events? Yes we have lots of great feedback and testimonials for you to see on request.
  9. Do you have copies of qualifications and insurance. Yes we send these out on request, usually with the risk assessment.
  10. Do you provide a method statement. Yes we do - with each risk assessment.
  11. Have you any tips for anxious or scared abseilers? See here
  12. Do you have consent form for participants? Yes we do see here to download one
  13. Do we need to tell the fire brigade about the abseil? No Rock and Ice staff are senior instructors trained in rescue practices in case something goes wrong. You don't need the fire brigade on stand by.
  14. Do we need to tell the police about the abseil. We recommend having a police presence on some events, they are usually pleased to attend and deal with any unforeseen circumstances.
  15. How long will it take for people to abseil down the building? This depends on the height it can vary from 5 min's to 15mins on average. We will advise after the risk assessment and initial site survey.
  16. What if the charity abseilers are disabled or have serious health problems? This shouldn't cause a problem if we are informed before the event.
  17. How strong are the ropes? They each hold nearly 3 tonne - they do not snap under bodyweight.
  18. Do we need to book all the instructors in before we get the participants? No we prefer you to call us when you have reached certain numbers so you don't overbook our services.
  19. Would you do our charity abseil event for free? No we provide a service that facilitate these events, we have to charge a fee to ensure specialist equipment is renewed etc. We do run one free event locally most years for a charity of our choice.
  20. How far would you travel to run an event? Distance is usually no problem.
  21. Have you ever had a serious accident or a fatality on a abseil event? Never. Safety is paramount.
  22. How many is the minimum? 1 person - you would come to us usually.
  23. What is the longest abseil you have ever done? 1000m on the Piz Badile in the Swiss alps.
  24. Do you have any information on the origins of abseiling? look here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abseiling#Application
  25. Why do people seek heights for exitement? see this Seeking the top tree
  26. Can I have some private abseil tuition beforehand? Yes you can, go here for more information: www.rockandice.net

 

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Contact information

Rock and Ice - Charity abseil specialists
Sprinkswood Lodge,
Sides Lane,
Clifton,
Ashbourne,
Derbyshire,
DE6 2GL.
Tel: 01335 344982

Click here to email us or type info@[remove this bit] rockandice.net

Map of our location
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External Links - email us to add a link

 

Note: Abseiling is recognised as a potentially dangerous activity, you need to warn all the participants.