Reaching new heights! 85-year-old care home resident completes wish to ride world’s fastest zipline

A care home resident in Chester has completed a breathtaking wish – and she’s now on an all-time high.

85-year-old Sally Webster, a resident at Care UK’s Deewater Grange, took to the skies and soared over Penrhyn Slate Quarry at 100mph on a 1.5km zipline – the fastest in the world – from 500 feet high.

When Deewater Grange first opened its doors, the team installed a ‘Wishing Tree’, an initiative launched by Care UK which allows residents to suggest ideas for new hobbies they’d like to try, places they’d like to visit or even activities linked to past careers. This encourages residents to live fulfilling lives – from skiing to a fish and chip supper, no wish is too big or small.

Having always had a passion for adventure, Sally paraglided over Morzine, in France, in her mid-sixties, and was determined to make the daring wish to soar even higher at the incredible age of 85. 

Sally was an active member of the rambling group, Fulbourne Ramblers, for over twenty years. Driven by her curious spirit and wanting the opportunity to explore, Sally enjoyed many hikes around East Anglia and in Europe. The group would regularly take it in turns to plan new and exciting routes for everyone to complete together. 

The team wasted no time getting the wish off the ground and soon the day came for the highly anticipated trip. The team arrived with Sally’s daughter, Juliet, at Penrhyn Slate Quarry, at 11am – and after one shorter zipline to get her ready, Sally zoomed over Snowdonia at 100mph taking in the incredible views.

Sally said: "Wow! Doing the zipline today really made me feel alive. I was nervous at first but so excited. I never thought at my age I’d see myself at the top of Snowdonia – never mind ziplining down it! The best part was getting to do the zipline together with my daughter.  The drive to the summit was breathtaking, and seeing the mountain ranges and the fresh country air reminded me of where I grew up as a child.  All I can say is a big thank you to the team for organising it, and once again wow.”

Sally Cooper, Home Manager at Deewater Grange, said: “Here at Deewater Grange, no wish is too big or too small and so when Sally said she wanted to complete the world’s fastest zipline, we knew we had to make her daring dream a reality.

“We are thrilled to have helped Sally complete her once in a lifetime wish and it was wonderful to see the excitement on her face as she landed after her zipline – a big thank you to the team at Zip World too for helping make Sally’s dream come true.

“The team at Deewater Grange delve into all resident’s life stories to learn more about their lifelong passions and see how they can bring special wishes to life. After hearing all about Sally’s explorer spirit through her active role in her local rambling group and continued love for thrill-inducing activities, the team made it their mission to help Sally achieve her wish to soar through the sky at 100mph.

“I cannot wait to see which resident’s wish we organise next – the sky really is the limit!” 

Deewater Grange is a state-of-the-art home which provides full-time residential, dementia and nursing care. The home has been designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, and incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities, including its own café, bar, cinema as well as a hair and beauty salon. The layout of the building is configured into a series of individual suites, each having a dedicated lounge/dining room to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities.

To find out more about the care home, contact Customer Relations Manager at Deewater Grange, Andrew Kenny, on andrew.kenny@careuk.com or call 01244 259480.