AIRASIA CFO ABSEILS DOWN LONDON’S NEW LANDMARK – THE SHARD
LONDON, 5 SEPTEMBER 2012 – AirAsia Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Andrew Littledale recently abseiled from London’s new iconic landmark and the tallest building in Western Europe, The Shard. Along with 39 other intrepid fundraisers led by The Duke of York, the Descent of The Shard aimed to raise funds for The Outward Bound Trust and the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Funds.
Abseiling in support of The Outward Bound Trust, Andrew were among the group 19 others who did a full abseil and descended from the summit of the building at the height 1,016 feet which is equivalent to 87 floors down to the 20th floor; the remaining twenty only abseiled from the summit to the 78th floor.
Andrew took about half an hour to complete the descent and right after his abseil he commented, “I’m doing this on behalf of AirAsia and I thoroughly enjoyed it especially when I know we are supporting a worthwhile charity and I will be happy to do it again.”
When asked which was the hardest part of the descent, he said, “Going up the stairs from the 78th floor to the top of the building as you realized what you are about to do. Then at the summit, someone tells you to lean and step back at the edge of the building. But after that, everything was easy.
“Next up, the Petronas Twin Towers,” added Andrew jokingly.
The Outward Bound Trust is an educational charity and UK’s leading provider in bursary-assisted outdoor learning which aims to help young people realize their potential through learning in the wild. The organization creates a challenging and supportive environment in which young people can learn about themselves and see clearly what they might truly be capable of achieving in life. Since its foundation in 1941 it has worked with over 1 million young people.
The Duke of York Leads The Way for 39 Other Brave Fundraising Abseilers To Raise Funds for The Outward Bound Trust and the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund.
His Royal Highness, alongside 39 other intrepid fundraisers, will today be abseiling down The Shard, the tallest building in Western Europe, in support of The Outward Bound Trust and the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund. The group, which includes nine Outward Bound Trustees, aims to raise over £1 million for the charities. Twenty of this dare devil group will take part in the full abseil which spans 250m between the summit of the building at the 87th floor down to the 20th floor. The remaining twenty will abseil the shorter but highest distance between the summit and 78th floor.

