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Daredevils today took on London’s most terrifying zip wire across the Thames — and the Standard was one of the first to try it out.

Starting from the 52 metre-high roof of St Thomas’ Hospital, the 450 metre zip wire took Londoners soaring above the river at up to 40mph, before finishing next to the Houses of Parliament, at Victoria Tower Gardens.

It was installed by 30 experts from the London Fire Brigade for one day only to raise over £1 million for Evelina London Children’s Hospital.

Braving bitter temperatures and raging nerves this morning, my stomach dropped as I took a shaky look over the edge of the roof. But soon enough I was put in a harness before scrambling onto a make-shift launch platform to be attached to the wire.

River Thames zip wire - in pictures 8 show all River Thames zip wire - in pictures 1/8 A fundraiser zip wires across the Thames from the roof of St Thomas' Hospital to the Houses of Parliament to launch a period of Christmas fundraising in aid of the Evelina London Children's Hospital. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday December 2, 2016. The event is in partnership with the London Fire Brigade as part of their 150th anniversary celebrations Stefan Rousseau/PA 2/8 A fundraiser dressed as Father Christmas on a zip wire from Evelina Children's Hospital to the Houses of Parliament. Jeremy Selwyn 3/8 Lizzie Edmonds on a zip wire from Evelina Children's Hospital to the Houses of Parliament Alex Lentati 4/8 Lizzie Edmonds prepares to zip wire across the River Thames Alex Lentati 5/8 Lizzie Edmonds flying down a zip wire across the River Thames Alex Lentati 6/8 A fundraiser zip wires across the Thames from the roof of St Thomas' Hospital to the Houses of Parliament to launch a period of Christmas fundraising in aid of the Evelina London Children's Hospital. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday December 2, 2016. The event is in partnership with the London Fire Brigade as part of their 150th anniversary celebrations Mikael Buck 7/8 Lizzie Edmonds passes The London Eye in the background whilst on a zip wire over the River Thames Jeremy Selwyn 8/8 A fundraiser dressed as Father Christmas on a zip wire from Evelina Children's Hospital to the Houses of Parliament. Jeremy Selwyn 1/8 A fundraiser zip wires across the Thames from the roof of St Thomas' Hospital to the Houses of Parliament to launch a period of Christmas fundraising in aid of the Evelina London Children's Hospital. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday December 2, 2016. The event is in partnership with the London Fire Brigade as part of their 150th anniversary celebrations Stefan Rousseau/PA 2/8 A fundraiser dressed as Father Christmas on a zip wire from Evelina Children's Hospital to the Houses of Parliament. Jeremy Selwyn 3/8 Lizzie Edmonds on a zip wire from Evelina Children's Hospital to the Houses of Parliament Alex Lentati 4/8 Lizzie Edmonds prepares to zip wire across the River Thames Alex Lentati 5/8 Lizzie Edmonds flying down a zip wire across the River Thames Alex Lentati 6/8 A fundraiser zip wires across the Thames from the roof of St Thomas' Hospital to the Houses of Parliament to launch a period of Christmas fundraising in aid of the Evelina London Children's Hospital. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday December 2, 2016. The event is in partnership with the London Fire Brigade as part of their 150th anniversary celebrations Mikael Buck 7/8 Lizzie Edmonds passes The London Eye in the background whilst on a zip wire over the River Thames Jeremy Selwyn 8/8 A fundraiser dressed as Father Christmas on a zip wire from Evelina Children's Hospital to the Houses of Parliament. Jeremy Selwyn

Then after a tense five-second countdown I was flying over the Thames. As I grew more confident, I began to soak up the view and found myself waving to passersby — before being rather rudely interrupted by the brake pads bringing me to an abrupt halt.

With shaky legs, and a big smile, I was then brought down to earth from my rather unladylike dangling position by a team of firefighters with a cherry picker. Fundraisers who braved the wire had to raise £50,000 each for the hospital to take part.

Participants included The Only Way is Essex star Fearne McCann, Dr Jenny McGrath, who works in the hospital’s neonatal unit, Lord Stanley Fink, Evelina London’s president who has raised more than £100,000, and model Rosie Tapner.

Last month a competition to give one lucky adrenaline junkie the chance to win a place on the zip wire had over 5,000 entries, with Nikhita Sethi from Pinner winning the slot. The zip wire stunt was the brainchild of London Fire Brigade Deputy Assistant Commissioner Andy Roe whose son Zaki, now aged nine, was treated at Evelina. He said: “My son might not be alive today if it wasn’t for Evelina. I wanted to find a way to thank the remarkable staff at this fantastic hospital. During the many hours I spent by my son’s bedside, I realised that I could use my specialist skills to rig up the zip wire. ”

The money raised is going towards the £2.7 million needed to build a clinical research facility at the hospital.