DAREDEVIL GP surgery staff are gearing up for a leap into the unknown in aid of St David’s Hospice Care.

The daring dozen, made up of 10 staff at the Chippenham GP Surgery and two family members, are taking part in an abseil from Newport’s famous Transporter Bridge on Saturday 17th October.

The doctor, two nurses, two dispensing staff and five reception staff together with the family members form a team which they have dubbed the Chippenham Freefallers.

The abseilers will first have to ascend 278 steps before being attached to a rope and then freefall 178 feet back down to the Transporter Bridge car park.

Organiser and team leader Wendy Wilson said: “We have a strong connection with St David’s Hospice Care and witness first hand what benefits and care the charity delivers to people throughout our community.

“Some of us have had family involvement with the work carried out by the charity and all of us agree that what we’re doing is for an extremely good cause.”

Wendy, who has also previously completed a zip slide and an abseil, said the doughty dozen are looking forward to the challenge.

Wendy said: “Nobody is doing anything particular towards training for the event as we all feel that it’s the amount of steps going up to the top of the bridge which will most probably be the biggest hurdle. We will be in good hands though having a medical team with us.

“A few of us are slightly nervous about it because they have never done anything like it before but I have already done it once and I also did the zip slide so from experience I am telling them it will be ok on the day - as if I would tell them anything else!”

Wendy said everyone associated with Chippenham GP Surgery as well as patients have been talking about the abseil.

“We are a mixture of being excited, proud, anxious and scared all put together. The team effort will pull it all together, we will have a laugh with plenty of banter and hopefully raise lots of money.

“We don’t really have a target but £1,500 would be good. I’m sure we will get to that with as much as we can individually and then getting the other members of staff and patients to chip in. We hope to do some other form of fund raising in the surgery as well so it can all go into one big pot.”

Tania Ansell of St David’s Hospice Care said: “This is a really fantastic effort from the Chippenham Freefallers and I look forward to welcoming them back down to earth after their abseil.”

Missing from the photos was staff member Sarah Jones and two family members, Nicola Worgan and Simon Broadhead.