AN ENTHUSIASTIC schoolgirl has successfully abseiled from the top of The Transporter Bridge.

Elizabeth Chandler, 12, of Northallerton School and Sixth form, in North Yorkshire, was tasked along with her school peers to come up with different ways to raise money for charity.

But in a brave effort to out-do everyone else, and raise enough money for her schools' chosen charity, Unicef, the keen pupil decided to abseil 164ft drop directly above the River Tees.

Elizabeth's mother, Angela Chandler, of Northallerton said her daughter's bravery "did not surprise" any members of the family during the fundraising effort on Sunday.

She said: "She's in her first year of senior school and they have their charity of the year – they chose Unicef.

"The children had to think of an idea where they had to raise money and together, we were trying to think about something different. "

Before the abseil and to an audience of her parents - Angela and Andrew Chandler, her sisters and grandparents, the brave schoolgirl ascended 210 steps to reach the top of the Teesside landmark.

The day before, Elizabeth had been at a dog show near London, and travelled back through the night to do the jump the following morning.

Mrs Chandler said: "She went to the show, to show her dog, and then came back and jumped off the bridge the following day – for a 12-year-old girl, that’s commitment."

As she was about to begin her abseil, Elizabeth said she felt increasingly nervous, but kept her sponsors at the forefront of her mind.

She said: "At the top, it’s very high but I remembered it was for a good cause it was for the children – I was obviously thinking about the children for Unicef."

Elizabeth hoped to raise £250 through sponsorships from family and friends, but her efforts have exceeded expectations. She said: "We've raised five times this amount." Around £1,100 has since been raised by Elizabeth in aid of Unicef.

She added: “Well I just thought nobody is doing to do it, I like to do things different to other people and by abseiling off the Transporter Bridge – it's not something you get to do every day. It’s a once in a lifetime experience."