Herbert Smith Freehills Belfast began its partnership with Simon Community NI in June this year.

The firm had previously worked with the charity at Christmas 2015 on its Shoebox Appeal and was overwhelmed by the donations given by HSF staff.

A spokesperson for the firm explained: “We knew that this was a very worthwhile charity in Northern Ireland to work with and we knew that our contributions could make a big difference to the charity. So far, we have held a number of Dress Down Days, an Interactive Quiz, a Sweepstake for the Euros and 2 collections at Ikea in Belfast to raise money for the charity.”

The abseil took place at the Dromore Viaduct on Saturday 10thSeptember with 10 brave volunteers from HSF Belfast volunteering to take part.

The volunteers abseiled 74ft down the viaduct one at a time. There were some very nervous people on Saturday morning but all volunteers successfully completed the abseil with only one minor elbow injury when one participant flipped upside down!

An amateur photographer in the group took photographs of the group before abseiling down the Viaduct with his camera attached. So far, the volunteers have raised £885, which will be matched by the firm.

According to one of our intrepid volunteers, Céardha Morgan: “I’ll admit, I have a fear of heights, but was determined to do this. However frightening I found the abseil, at the back of my mind was the thought of how frightening it must be to be homeless, or facing homelessness, without any safety rope or support. I just had to face my fears for a few minutes.”

She added: “I was delighted to be able to do something to raise money and awareness for the Simon Community NI. It is a great cause to support. And I might even do it again.”