DAREDEVIL pensioner Kathleen Creegan and vertigo-suffering canon Jude Harrison scaled the dizzy heights of the Blackburn skyline in a bid to save a church roof from collapse.

Kathleen, 65, made the challenging 140ft descent from the top of the town's Bowland House block of flats watched by hundreds of onlookers down below.

Her adventurous stunt was all part of the 25th anniversary of Space, the housing company that own Bowland House.

Fundraiser Kathleen has been a resident in the flats for 17 years and was one of 56 roped in to take part in the event.

She was hoping her charity mission would help contribute to the £100,000 that is still needed to help repair the roof of nearby St Alban's Church.

And the pensioner made sure onlookers made the most of her bravery as they watched her hang 140ft from the top of the roof when organisers had to balance her on the edge while she was on her stomach and swivel her legs round before she could make the drop.

Kathleen, who said she did not think twice about taking part when she was asked to do the abseil.

And with her feet firmly back on the ground and looking a whiter shade of pale, she said: "I wasn't nervous or anything and it's all for a good cause or I wouldn't have done it otherwise. I think I've raised a couple of hundred pounds. "It wasn't as high as I thought it would be just looking round but I got a really good view.

"My legs weren't long enough to get over the wall at the top and they had to hold me over the top on my stomach while they rolled my legs round so I could get down.

"The worst bit was after I'd got over the top and was on my way down but I'm glad I've done it now."

She was joined by Canon Jude Harrison, from St Alban's Church, who accompanied his parishioner in her attempt to keep the roof over his head.

As well as appealing for money to save his church, Mr Harrison, who has suffered from vertigo all his life, had an added intention by taking part.

Sporting a neatly sewn half Burnley and half Blackburn Rovers shirt, Canon Jude, thought taking a step closer to heaven would urge the guilty party who stole a signed team photo of his beloved Burnley to return it in one piece.

The picture was stolen about a year ago from the vicarage and he said he was told that if he didn't show his allegiance to Blackburn Rovers then it would be returned in tiny bits.

Suffering last minute butterflies before his adventurous stunt, he said: "I've suffered from vertigo all my life and I'm absolutely terrified but I'm hoping this might be the spur for the safe return of my picture.

"I'm sure it must be a parishioner because it went from my house and people have said if I didn't wear a Rovers shirt they would return it with the players' heads chopped off in tiny pieces.

Mr Harrison jokingly described his descent as a 'piece of cake and said: "I kept losing the wall on the way down. When I bounced off it I thought I was never going to reach it again. I didn't even dare look down.

"It was the sponsorship of the people that kept me going. So many people had so much faith in me and I'm amazed how many people have done this for the church. I'm really grateful."