A DAREDEVIL rector took a leap of faith to launch Dorchester Festival .

Canon Sue Booys embarked on a fundraising abseil down the side of the abbey on Saturday.

She was among 12 people who took the plunge to raise funds for Dorchester Abbey and the Footsteps Foundation, which provides financial support to families of disabled children attending the Footsteps Therapy Centre in Warborough, South Oxfordshire.

Ms Booys has personally raised £1,500 with her abseil, but the group effort – which included abseilers as young as 15 right up to people in their 70s – is believed to be in excess of £8,000.

She said: “I have never abseiled in my life and I think I must be the only person I know who has got to the top of an amusement park ride and actually walked back down.

“But when the opportunity arose I thought it seemed like a good opportunity. I did it for two reasons.

“One because it was a good and exciting way to open up the festival and the other is because it is a personal challenge.

“I couldn’t afford to be scared because of all the people who had sponsored me. “ Dorchester Festival is a biennial event held to raise money for charity and for the abbey itself.

For a full programme of festival events, which run until Sunday, May 8, please go to dorchesterfestival.com