IT takes a good head for heights to drop 150ft down the side of a building, but now that she has done it, a sprightly 84-year-old cannot wait to have another go.

Rena Allen, from Cotherstone, County Durham, said that the next time she abseils, she will do it more gracefully than her first attempt on Saturday from the roof of the Baltic arts centre, on Gateshead's quayside.

Mrs Allen raised £427 for the Royal National Institute for the Blind. Her husband of more than 50 years, Bill, has poor sight and she decided to help the charity after she read about the weekend event in The Northern Echo.

She said: "We both felt it was a worthwhile cause and I was pleased he was able to be there.

"The worst moment was going over the top, but I had been warned to expect that. Everything was explained and that was very reassuring. I knew not to look down.

"But if I get another chance, I will come down more gracefully. I would like to do it again.

"It wasn't half as terrifying as the traffic and the size of Newcastle now. We haven't been for a lot of years and it is so big.

"This was the first time we had seen the blinking eye bridge and it was wonderful."

Mrs Allen had a two-hour wait for her abseil after health and safety experts insisted on extra last-minute checks, meaning some people had to be turned away.

Organisers of the two-day event, which was expected to handle 2,500 people raising thousands of pounds for the charity, apologised last night.

Event manager Sarah Hetherington said: "We offer our sincere apologies to everyone who was affected."

The problems did not spoil the day for John Rouse, 66, and his 81-year-old partner, Vera Watson, from South Shields, South Tyneside. John proposed to Vera at the top of the ropes and she accepted - before they abseiled together.