A thrill-seeking grandmother from Cornwall celebrated her 80th birthday by launching head-first down the fastest zip line in England.

Anne Nicholas took on the nail-biting experience to raise valuable funds for international disaster relief charity, ShelterBox.

The adventurous grandmother gave a remarkable demonstration of fearlessness as she travelled 96 metres above the iconic Eden Project biomes at speeds of up to 60mph.

Ms Nicholas acted on this adrenaline-fueled ambition on the day of her birthday, February 14, choosing to commemorate her special day whilst rallying for those across the globe deprived of shelter subsequent to disaster.

Undeterred by the towering height and extreme speed of the zip wire, Ms Nicholas had a single concern - the prospect of the planned activity being cancelled due to unfavourable weather conditions.

The grandmother of four from Saltash shared her reflections of the day.

Mrs Nicholas said: "I have been eager to ride the zip wire for many years and wanted to celebrate my 80th birthday with a bang, so it presented the perfect opportunity to finally get round to doing it."

She confessed her nervousness about the weather influencing her effort, adding, however, that the skies cleared up as her turn approached.

Fully enjoying the view, she found the ride to be 'great fun' and not at all frightening.

Two of her children and one grandson shared the ride with her, with Ms Nicholas calling it an experience of 'Three generations flying together for a good cause.' Mrs Nicholas continued to lend her narrative about the motivation behind her daredevil decision.

She felt her significant birthday should be an occasion for giving back to society and ShelterBox, a charity her local church group had endorsed for many years, was the perfect recipient.

Her active involvement with community groups and attendance at local sports centre fitness sessions brewed a strong circle of support for her.

She expressed satisfaction in being able to aid the cause of supporting disaster-affected people.

As for the future, she let on that a ride on the world’s fastest zipwire in Wales is on the cards for her next milestone, her 90th birthday.

ShelterBox's community engagement officer, Mr John Stanbury, voiced admiration at Mrs Nicholas' bold initiative, declaring that zip-wire rides are a challenging task for anyone.

He extended his gratitude for making ShelterBox her charity of choice for this fundraiser.

ShelterBox's work involves providing support, be it emergency shelter or essential commodities like water filters, blankets, kitchen equipment and solar lights, to those affected by disasters across the globe.

The charity, based out of Cornwall, is currently appealing for donations, particularly for their focused efforts in Gaza, Yemen, Somalia, Ethiopia and Mozambique.