The abseil Em turned down — and the one they will not
Last year, Em Nicholls had the chance to abseil down Ipswich Hospital alongside their dad. They turned it down. Months after Matt completed the challenge, he died suddenly — and now Em is preparing to step over the edge in his memory.
On Saturday, 6 June, Em — who will be 16 at the time of the challenge — will descend 135 feet down the side of Ipswich Hospital's tower as part of Colchester & Ipswich Hospitals Charity's Extreme Abseil. It is a challenge their father, Matt Nicholls, completed in 2025, and one Em was invited to take on alongside him.
They turned it down.
Just months later, in July, Matt died suddenly from a deep vein thrombosis that led to blood clots in his lungs. Now Em is determined to follow in his fundraising footsteps.
A challenge they once said no to
The 2025 abseil was, for Matt, a personal fundraiser with deep roots. Six years earlier, the paediatric play team at Ipswich Hospital had supported Em through cancer treatment, and Matt chose to raise money for the team that had helped his child.
Em had the opportunity to abseil with him. They declined.
What followed gave that decision a weight no one could have anticipated. Matt's death came without warning, and the chance to take on the challenge alongside him was gone.
This year, Em is taking it on alone — or rather, with a different kind of company. Friends will be at the hospital cheering them on as they step over the edge.
"It is terrifying…but I have signed up now, so I have to do it," Em said. "I think Dad would be proud."
A different cause, a deliberate choice
Where Matt fundraised for the paediatric play team that had supported his family, Em and their mum, Vicki, have chosen a different beneficiary this year: the Time Garden Appeal.
The appeal will transform a disused courtyard at Ipswich Hospital into a peaceful space for end-of-life patients to spend precious time with loved ones. The garden is designed as a private and calm environment away from the busy wards, giving families the chance to make lasting memories together — including time outdoors and visits from beloved pets.
It is something the Nicholls family did not have.
"We wanted to do something meaningful and continue fundraising, but support somewhere different this time," Vicki said. "The Time Garden felt like the right choice."
The decision threads Em's abseil into a wider story than one family's grief. The Time Garden Appeal is the charity's headline cause for the 2026 event, and participants are being asked to consider supporting it alongside other ESNEFT wards and departments.
The face of a wider appeal
The Extreme Abseil, sponsored by Eastern Lift Services and run by Dave Talbot Ltd, returns to Ipswich Hospital on 6 and 7 June. Slots are split into 30-minute windows from 9:00, with two ropes running down the tower at a time. The drop is 135 feet — 41 metres — and the event is open to anyone aged 12 and over, with under-18s required to be accompanied by an adult throughout.
The entry fee is £40, and the suggested fundraising target for participants is £150.
For the charity, Em's story is doing a job that flyers and registration links cannot. Grace Wilson, the charity's assistant fundraising and events manager, said the teenager's reasons for signing up speak to the heart of what the event is for.
"This is about more than just the challenge, it is about making a real difference and a lasting impact for patients and families," Wilson said. "Em's story is incredibly moving, and we would love more people to get involved and help us be there for families long into the future."
She also acknowledged the role of the event's sponsor: "We would also like to express our thanks to Eastern Lift Services, who have proudly sponsored this year's Abseil."
Already over target
Em's fundraising page on JustGiving had passed its £450 target before they had so much as put on a harness. At the time of writing, 25 supporters had raised £525 — 116 per cent of the original goal — with messages of encouragement still arriving.
The page itself carries a short, unvarnished note from Em explaining the decision to sign up:
"I'm doing the Extreme Abseil in memory of my dad. He did the abseil just a few months before he passed away suddenly last year, and I wish I had done it with him. So instead, I'm doing it in his memory."
The bottom line
There is no version of this story in which Em gets to redo last year. The abseil they turned down with their father is not the abseil they will take on in June. But by stepping over the edge of Ipswich Hospital in his memory — and by raising money for a garden the family themselves never got to use — Em is turning a decision they cannot change into something other families will benefit from for years to come.
To support Em's fundraising, visit justgiving.com/page/emnicholls.
To sign up for this year's Extreme Abseil, visit colchesteripswichcharity.org.uk/Event/extreme-abseil-2026.
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