The Bishop’s Leap of Faith – From the Top of the Cathedral

Published on: 18 Jun, 2025
Updated on: 18 Jun, 2025

The Bishop of Guildford – “terrifying but wonderful” he says of his abseiling experience

It was a day of courage and community spirit. Twenty-seven brave people – including the Bishop of Guildford – abseiled 160 feet down the Cathedral tower on Saturday (June 14).

The Daring Descent challenge was held to raise funds for Guildford Cathedral and also for the Bishop’s Communities Fund, which supports grassroots projects helping vulnerable people across the Diocese.

The event began when the Bishop, the Right Reverend Andrew Watson, made his inspiring leap of faith.

He said afterwards: “I can’t pretend that abseiling from the Cathedral tower was anything other than terrifying, but it was wonderful to be cheered on by such a great bunch of people (including my fellow abseilers) and it was encouraging to raise money for two such worthy causes. The experience comes into the category of something I’m really glad I’ve done.”

Throughout the day, participants, including Cathedral staff, diocesan staff, bellringers, congregation members and members of the local community, climbed 249 steps up the spiral staircase to take in the stunning views from the top before abseiling down with the expert guidance of Hatt Adventures.

“It was a day full of joy, community spirit and no small amount of bravery,” said Nicola Pratt, Head of Development at Guildford Cathedral. “We are incredibly grateful to everyone who took part and supported this event. Thanks to their efforts, we’ve already raised £10,278, and we’re hopeful we can reach our £15,000 target.”

Ollie Turner, one of the Cathedral Lay Clerks, said: “What a fantastic experience here at the Cathedral! It was amazing to be able to look out from the top of the tower across the Surrey Hills landscape. The team at the top of the tower were wonderful and dealt with my nervous small talk very well and the way down was as thrilling as it was stunning. I’m so grateful for everyone who supporting on the day and in donations for helping to preserve such an amazing space and a brilliant team.”

The funds raised will help cover the £3,500 a day it costs to keep the Cathedral open. Donations are still welcome. You can help the Cathedral hit its £15,000 goal: https://guildfordcathedral.enthuse.com/cf/daring-descent