DAREDEVILS jumped off a 200ft high crane in Oxford to raise money for charity.

Fifteen people paid £50 each to bungee jump at the car park of the Bullnose Morris pub, in Cuddesdon Way, Blackbird Leys.

Landlady Bridget Harrison-Steele said she hoped Thursday’s event would raise £1,500 for the Pathway Workshop, a local charity for disabled workers, and the special care baby unit at the John Radcliffe Hospital.

She said: “We were trying to come up with some sort of charity event and a colleague said, ‘What about a bungee jump?’ “The customers were very excited, because it was something different. It was amazing. We were packed out and it was a fun family day.

“I wasn’t tempted to have a go – anything which involves getting off the ground isn’t for me, but some people love it.”

Jumpers were asked to raise cash by being sponsored.

Liam O’Callaghan, 29, of Pegasus Road, jumped to raise money for the baby unit, because a friend’s baby was born prematurely at Christmas and needed specialist care for two months.

He raised £200 and said: “It was the first time I had ever done it, so I was a bit nervous, but I would definitely do it again.”

Teenager Roxy Bailey, 18, of Druce Way, raised £120 for the hospital.

She said: “I really enjoyed it. When you’re on the ground it seems quite high, but when you’re up there you can see everything.

“I had already gone down and come back again by the time I realised I had jumped. It was a very strange sensation.”

Last year regulars at the Bullnose Morris helped to save the Pathway Workshop from closure with a series of fundraising events, bringing in about £10,000.

Nigel Roberts, 46, from Woodruff Close, said: “When things are needed, everyone dips into their pockets. This is a community pub.”

In March 2007, four regulars, including Mr Roberts, trekked to Mount Everest, netting £7,000 in sponsorship.

Pathway trains people with physical disabilities or learning problems to build garden furniture and homes for pets.

tshepherd@oxfordmail.couk