A daredevil 80-year-old grandmother undergoing treatment for a rare and aggressive cancer has completed a 170-metre abseil down Portsmouth’s Spinnaker Tower, raising more than £12,500 for Sarcoma UK.

Catriona Tremlett, from Haslemere, was diagnosed with retroperitoneal leiomyosarcoma – a soft tissue cancer that affects fewer than 600 people in England each year – just after Christmas in 2020. The tumour, weighing 4.5kg, was discovered behind her abdomen, and surgeons removed it along with her left kidney.

She was later told the illness was terminal. Chemotherapy was offered as a last resort, but it led to heart failure. Still, she has defied expectations – and five years later says the extra time she’s been given is “a privilege” she refuses to waste.

“I wasn’t supposed to be here,” she said. “I had a big party to say goodbye to my family – I gave a farewell speech and everything. But here I still am. And if I’m here, I’m going to make the most of it.”

The abseil took place in fierce winds, which she described as “a fight”.

“I was being blown around the side of the tower and struggled to keep going down. I wasn’t scared, because I knew I wouldn’t fall – but it was very hard work. Not particularly enjoyable, but I got to the bottom eventually. Otherwise I might still be dangling up there!”

Catriona chose to support Sarcoma UK, a small charity she says is “not well known enough”. She hopes to raise funds and awareness, because the cancer is so difficult to diagnose, hard to treat, and incredibly aggressive.

Just days after the abseil, she went gliding – something that had long been on her bucket list. She has also flown light aircraft and, 20 years ago, zipped down the tower of Guildford Cathedral.

“I’m not ‘bucket listing’. I just love my normal life and want to enjoy every part of it,” she said. “So many people have it worse than I do. I just want people to make the most of what they’ve got – every day, hour, minute. Everything is precious, so don’t waste time worrying, because it might all disappear.”

After the abseil, she celebrated with a family dinner at The Shard. More than 30 people turned out to cheer her on at the tower.

“I didn’t think anyone would come, but it meant so much.”

She also praised the NHS teams who have cared for her at Royal Surrey, The Royal Marsden, Brompton Hospital and the Haslemere Health Centre.

“My nurses and doctors aren’t strangers anymore. They’ve become my friends. Macmillan were a lifeline, especially during Covid. I can’t fault any of them.

“The treatment reminded me of childbirth – horrendous at the time, but afterwards you forget the pain. I just want to move forward. There’s life in the old girl yet.

“I think I’ve done so well – surviving when no one thought I would – because of the support from my family, my community, and the Haslemere parish. I’m surrounded by love and prayers. I think that’s made all the difference.”