STAFF at a Woking company are planning to abseil down their 120ft-high building for charity.

The event, at the Acosta Europe offices in Dukes Court, has been organised by the company’s office and support co-ordinator, Laura Turner.

“I’m into adrenaline sports and ever since I started working for this company three years ago, I’d thought it looked like a perfect building to abseil down,” Laura said.

“I didn’t think it would be possible and parked that thought for ages and one day I randomly emailed the building’s manager and asked if we could abseil down the building, and he said ‘yes, you can’.

“It’s been done before, about 10 years ago.”

Laura found an adventure company in the Lake District to run the event. They have successfully completed a risk assessment and the event will take place in two weeks’ time, on Thursday 15 September.

She has previously abseiled down Guildford Cathedral for Parkinson’s disease charities and down her office building at a previous job.

Laura was partly inspired by the fact that Acosta Europe, a sales and field marketing company, recently acquired Red Bull as a client. The energy drinks giant is heavily associated with adrenaline sport, including Formula One motor racing.

After making the basic arrangements, Laura set about recruiting her colleagues.

“A lot of people thought I was crazy, but I did a survey to see who thought it was a good idea and if there would be people up for it,” she said.

“The feedback was pretty good, with a lot of people saying it was a great idea. Gradually more and more people signed up because they saw their colleagues doing it.”

The recruitment was helped when Anthony Carr, the managing director, signed up and there are now more than 40 people taking part.

The abseilers are getting sponsorship from friends and family with the money going to GroceryAid, which has been providing emotional, practical and financial support to people in the grocery industry for 165 years.

The charity reported last month a massive increase in its services because of the pandemic and cost of living crisis.

Laura has set a fundraising target of £5,000 for GroceryAid, which is supported by the whole sales and field marketing industry.

“People are getting excited with the date approaching,” she said.

“It’s going to be a really good day.”