A HEXHAM woman who celebrated her 80th birthday by taking to the high ropes has raised an incredible £4,000 for Tynedale Hospice at Home.

Alison Ross took on the Go Ape course at Matfen Hall in Northumberland, which involved negotiating a high rope obstacle course, leaping off Tarzan swings and zipping along a zip wire.

No stranger to fund-raising challenges, she has celebrated her milestone birthdays in impressive style in recent years.

At 70 she swam a mile and raised £2,000, and when she turned 75, she zip wired across the River Tyne, raising £6,000 – again for the hospice. Over the years, she has helped to raise more than £22,000 for the charity.

She said: “It was an amazing experience – very hard, but lots of fun. Some of the toughest parts were the rope ladder and negotiating the cargo netting.

“It was definitely worth it to raise such a great amount for Tynedale Hospice at Home. It was a very memorable way to see in a new decade.”