The oldest swinger in town – zippy Robert, 92

HURTLING fearlessly at speed over cold waters, pensioner Robert Sutton was among a host of fundraisers who descended over the River Clyde yesterday via a zip-slide.

The 92-year-old hung from the top of a 40-metre tall mobile crane on the riverside, before sliding about 300m to the opposite bank, where a special platform had been erected.

In all, about 170 people took part in the Clydeslide event in Glasgow's Finnieston area, held in aid of the charity Action for Children Scotland.

Bryan Christie, a spokesman for the charity, said: "The Clydeslide was a great success. We had a wide range of people of all ages taking part."

The charity, which supports vulnerable and neglected children and helps find carers for children unable to live with their families, estimates that about 100,000 youngsters in Scotland alone have entered 2010 at risk of neglect – more than the total populations of Inverness or East Kilbride.

Those who took part in the sponsored zip-slide each paid a registration fee of 10 and raised a minimum of 120 in sponsorship, and were given training beforehand.

There was live music and other entertainment throughout the day.

Clydeslide has been staged several times in recent years to help boost the charity's funds, and has become a popular event alongside more traditional fundraising methods such as marathons.

Mr Christie added that the proceeds from yesterday's slide will be known later in the week.