People abseil Bristol's Castlemead building for charity

Abseilers have been scaling the 18-storey city-centre building

People have been abseiling down the side of Bristol's second tallest building to raise "vital funds" for a local hospice.

Bristol's Big Drop has seen supporters of St Peter's Hospice stepping over the edge of the Castlemead tower block and dropping 80m (262ft).

More than 40 people volunteered to scale the 18-storey building on Saturday and Sunday.

The charity is aiming to raise £10,000 over the weekend.

One abseiler, Andy, recently lost his father and said hospice care was "really important to us".

Andy told BBC Radio Bristol that he had done something similar forty years ago as an apprentice with the military, but still had "loads" of nerves.

He joked that he had had a big breakfast to "help the gravity".

People were kitted up by J T Expeditions before lowering themselves to the ground

The volunteer said a hospice had "helped out greatly" with his father late in life.

"Anything that I can do I want to do for different charities," he added.

Hayley Ali, St Peter's Hospice's events fundraiser, described the challenge as a "breath-taking experience that you'll truly never forget".

More than 40 people signed up to abseil down the tower block

She added that the supporters, many of whom were family and friends of those who had received hospice care, were raising funds "at a time when it couldn't be more important".

"They really are going above and beyond for us. It just means the world," she added.

St Peter's Hospice is a Bristol-based charity caring for adults with life-limiting illnesses.

It says its services cost around £25,650 a day.