Care home resident, 85, fulfils wish to complete world’s fastest zipline

An 85-year-old care home resident from Cheshire with a passion for adventure has completed the world’s fastest zipline.

Sally Webster reached speeds of 100mph as she took to the skies over Penrhyn Slate Quarry, near Bethesda, Gwynedd, in a trip organised by her care home on Tuesday.

Ms Webster, from Care UK’s Deewater Grange in Huntington, Chester, flew down the 1.5km-long and 500-foot high zipline with her daughter Juliet, a 52-year-old yoga teacher from Chester.

“Wow! Doing the zipline today really made me feel alive,” Ms Webster said.

“I was nervous at first but so excited. I never thought at my age I’d see myself at the top of Snowdonia – never mind ziplining down it!

“The best part was getting to do the zipline together with my daughter.”

Ms Webster zoomed through Penrhyn Slate Quarry on the Velocity 2 zipwire run by Zip World, which claims to be the fastest zipline in the world and the longest in Europe.

Donning goggles, a hard hat and padded safety suit, Ms Webster was pictured smiling with her arms raised in the air alongside her daughter after completing her descent.

“The drive to the summit was breathtaking, and seeing the mountain ranges and the fresh country air reminded me of where I grew up as a child,” she added.

Paraglided

The octogenarian is known for her adventurous nature after she paraglided over Morzine, France, in her mid-sixties.

She was also an active member of the Fulbourne Ramblers group for more than 20 years and spent her time hiking around East Anglia and Europe.

Ms Webster’s day at the zipline was organised after her care home installed a “wishing tree” on which residents were allowed to suggest hobbies or activities they would like to try.

“All I can say is a big thank you to the team for organising it, and once again, wow!” Ms Webster said.

Sally Cooper, home manager at Deewater Grange, said: “Here at Deewater Grange, no wish is too big or too small, and so when Sally said she wanted to complete the world’s fastest zipline, we knew we had to make her daring dream a reality.

“We are thrilled to have helped Sally complete her once-in-a-lifetime wish and it was wonderful to see the excitement on her face as she landed after her zipline – a big thank you to the team at Zip World too for helping make Sally’s dream come true.

“The team at Deewater Grange delve into all residents’ life stories to learn more about their lifelong passions and see how they can bring special wishes to life.

“I cannot wait to see which resident’s wish we organise next – the sky really is the limit!”