Second-year students Jessica Snellgrove and Sophia May recently abseiled Liverpool Cathedral to raise funds for a charity that is supporting a fellow student.

Jessica, who studies Psychology and Education, and Sophia, who studies Psychology, took on the 150ft drop, which takes place over the main entrance of the cathedral, to fundraise for Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. The pair raised £2,000, which will now go towards supporting the 450,000 children and young people the charity cares for every year.  

Discussing why the hospital is very close to her heart, Jessica says, “Fundraising for Alder Hey Children’s Charity is important to me as it’s supported my boyfriend, Connor Ellerton, for the last five years through cancer treatment. Being diagnosed with cancer for the second time at 18 has been very difficult, not only for Connor, but for his family and friends too.”

Connor, who was first diagnosed with leukaemia at the age of 14 and spent three and a half years receiving treatment at Alder Hey, sadly relapsed during his first semester at Keele studying Commercial Law. He has now deferred for two years while he recovers from a bone marrow transplant.

Jessica continues, “Alder Hey makes a huge difference to the lives of so many young people, as well as providing counselling support for any loved ones who may need it, so I wanted to show my appreciation for all that they do and give back to them through our fundraising abseil. I will forever be grateful for everything the charity has done for Connor, who is just one of the many patients they have helped immensely.”  

When seeking a challenge to undertake, the girls wanted something that was not only close to Connor’s home in Liverpool, but also close to the hospital. At only 20 minutes from Alder Hey, abseiling the cathedral seemed the perfect choice. Jessica, who confesses to having a ‘fear of heights’, also thought that pushing herself out of her comfort zone would be a good way to conquer her fear, and it certainly did that!

However, once Jessica and Sophia reached the top of the cathedral via ‘a lift and many, many stairs’, the reality of the challenge hit them. Jessica says, “Getting off the initial ledge was definitely the most challenging part, but looking down at all the buildings and seeing the skyline of Liverpool was very special and we got more and more confident on the way down. I’m so grateful I got to share the experience with Sophia, who has not only helped and supported me during the abseil, but also throughout Connor’s relapse.”

“It was an incredible and memorable moment knowing what a great cause we had raised the money for, and the feeling when we finished was just pure joy! Having our family and friends there made the experience even more special, especially seeing Connor at the bottom as this was dedicated to him!”

The pair are grateful to have received generous donations and support from peers on their courses, and from teammates in Keele Panther’s Cheerleading and Keele Women’s Cricket Club. Friends Connor made during his first semester, both on his course and through Keele’s Men’s Rugby team, have also continued to help and support him while he recovers, both by donating to the fundraiser and keeping him involved with rugby events, which is very much appreciated by Jessica and Connor.

Jessica and Sophia, who are set to graduate in 2026, both want to work with children in the Psychology industry and their abseil is the first of many challenges they wish to complete. Sophia says, “This experience was great for us to work on key skills, including determination and facing our fears. Post-graduation, we definitely want to do more challenges, such as a run (which is even further out of our comfort zones!), and eventually we want to help other people complete such fulfilling experiences too.”

Find out more about Jessica and Sophia’s challenge here.