DON'T look down! And, judging by the picture, that was the last thing great grandad Terence Stuttard intended to do.

With eyes tight shut, the 80-year-old from St Annes known as Terry bravely abseiled 100ft down the side of Manchester Town Hall, despite having a fear of heights.

And in the process the have-a-go pensioner helped to raise money for the charity, Myasthenia Gravis Association.

Terry, who lives on Berwick Road with 79-year-old wife Mary, himself suffers from myasthenia gravis, a rare auto-immune disease which causes muscle weakness and can affect anyone at any age.

His daughter Anne Colledge, of Ansdell, said her father wanted to raise awareness about the disease as well as money for the association.

Several members of his family, which includes eleven grandchildren and four great grandchildren were there on the day to cheer him on.

Anne said: "We thought one of the family would do it but in his wisdom he said 'I'm going to have a go'.

"The amount raised was just brilliant. We were really proud of him but I have told him that after this he is not doing anything else!"

The abseil was part of a two-day event organised by London-based Skyline Events. The special weekend allowed several different charities to pool resources to create one big occasion to raise funds and awareness.

Terry reckons he has raised about £250 towards the total after being sponsored by family and friends. "The doctor at the health centre sponsored me too, even though he said I shouldn't do it. If I didn't have MG I probably would have abseiled without the rope you know!"

And he was glad he wasn't grounded. "I actually really enjoyed it. I was told that I was ancient and overweight, but I wasn't worried about the abseil. I'm just glad they didn't find out about my vertigo and send me home," he chuckled.