Abseiling down the Spinnaker Tower

In a week’s time Tom Clements will abseil 100m from the viewing deck of the Spinnaker Tower in Plymouth to raise money for STEF.  Good luck Tom!

We’re thrilled that Tom has chosen to support STEF with this exciting endeavour. Tom has strong connections with Thailand, having a Thai mother, which means that much of his family live in Thailand and he makes frequent visits to see them. And whenever he visits, he likes to see the elephants. When Covid decimated the tourist industry in Thailand resulting in the closure of most of the elephant parks, Tom felt very strongly that he should do something to help those elephants in need. So now he is raising funds for STEF by launching himself off the iconic Spinnaker Tower.

Is he nervous? Not yet, apparently, but he admits: “I’m pretty sure I’ll be nervous nearer the time”. He reckons it will take about 10-15 minutes to descend the tower. “I just hope it’s not a windy day,” (the tower can flex up to 150mm in high winds).  Aged 20 – though he’ll be just 21 by the time he does his abseil – Tom is working as a waiter at The Pig Hotel in the New Forest.  Recently, though, he was accepted to train as an Air Traffic Controller with the Royal Navy.  So, more exciting times ahead…

But first the abseil: you can follow Tom on Instagram (tom_clements14) where he is hoping to live-stream his descent of the tower – at 12 noon on Saturday, 18th September – and there will also be follow-up videos.  Do please support him (and STEF) by visiting his GoFundMe page

[Click on photos below to enlarge]