TIM Healey and Christopher Fairbank, better known as Dennis and Moxey in the BBC hit show Auf Wiedersehen Pet, yesterday abseiled from the Tyne Bridge to raise cash for deaf and blind people.

They were raising cash for Sense, an international charity working with children and adults who are both deaf and blind.

Speaking after the event Mr Fairbank said: "I was asked to do it and thought, why not - and then I immediately regretted it as I remembered that I wasn't very good with heights, but I'm glad I did it and I hope we have raised a lot of money for charity."

Joining them in the abseil was 19-year-old Nicola Henderson, a deaf-blind teenager from Northumberland who has Usher syndrome, which causes deafness from birth and blindness from the late teens.

Talking after the abseil through a friend she said: ''Just because you are deafblind doesn't mean you can't have a life.

"I did my first abseil over a year ago and have also completed the Great North Run, a 13,000ft skydive and a wing walk, all to raise money for Sense.

"I wasn't scared as I have done it five times before.''

Nicola was named as Usher UK Person of Inspiration for 2001 and is also due to have the Freedom of Blyth Valley conferred on her later this year, the highest civic honour a local authority can bestow on one of its citizens.

Event organiser Naomi McKiernan hopes they have raised in excess of £5,000.

"It has been a very successful day. We are very pleased.

"It is such a fantastic opportunity for us. The Tyne Bridge is a national landmark and with so many charities about it is good to offer something so different."