AIRBORNE BETTY. Cornish beer icon Betty Stogs, the public face of Skinners Brewery, “flies” over Newquay’s Lusty Glaze Beach to claim a new world record for the longest zip wire journey

Cornish beer icon Betty Stogs took to the skies over Newquay’s Lusty Glaze Beach on Sunday (27 Sep 2009) to claim a new “world record” and raise around £1,500 for charity.

The public face of Skinners Brewery, aka former Cornish-style wrestling champion Fred Thomas of Sticker, reached new heights in “her” phenomenal fund-raising exploits.

She took to the air in all her finery, with a shriek and a flailing of legs and arms, in a flamboyant bid to beat the world record for the longest zip wire journey.

In aid of Cornwall’s multiple sclerosis Merlin Project, and cheered on by beachgoers below, Betty flew over Lusty Glaze ten times to clock up a total distance of some 7,500 feet.

HAVE TANKARD WILL FLY. Cornish beer icon Betty Stogs, the public face of Skinners Brewery, launches from the top of a 120ft cliff at Newquay’s Lusty Glaze Beach on her way to claiming a new world record for the longest zip wire journey

That way, Betty easily exceeded the 6,400ft of what is believed to be the world’s longest zip wire at Sun City in South Africa

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“Nine flights would have been good enough, but I thought if I was going to break the record I might as well shatter it in style!” she declared.

The ten Lusty Glaze flights were only half the battle for Betty – she also had to climb the cliffside’s 133 steep steps ten times after abseiling down to the beach when each flight came to a halt in the centre.  From start to finish, 43-year-old Betty was on the go for one-and-a-quarter hours.  

Annie Binding, Merlin Project fundraising manager, commented:  “We’re not too concerned whether Betty’s new record can ultimately be regarded as ‘official.’   It was a fun thing for a very worthy cause and we congratulate Betty on a great effort.” 

The Merlin Project at Hewas Water, St Austell, is Cornwall’s only MS therapy centre.  One of its volunteer fund-raisers, 71-year-old Frank Oak of Launceston, dressed up as Merlin the wizard and joined Betty on her first flight.

Betty is the human equivalent of Skinners Brewery’s best-selling Betty Stogs ale, named after a west Cornwall folklore character.  Now in her third year in the role, she has become a fund-raising phenomenon, with over £5,000 already raised for charities, notably the Precious Lives Appeal and the RNLI.

TIME TO CELEBRATE. Cornish beer icon Betty Stogs is congratulated at the end of her zip wire marathon at Lusty Glaze Beach, Newquay, by Annie Binding, Merlin Project fund-raising manager, and “Merlin The Wizard,” aka 71-year-old volunteer fund-raiser Frank Oak, of Launceston, who also did a flight