0:00:01 > 0:00:03Vast and exposed,
0:00:03 > 0:00:07the setting for an extraordinary Red Nose Day challenge.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14I'm going to attempt to walk from that chimney to this one
0:00:14 > 0:00:17on a wire no wider than this 10p piece.
0:00:17 > 0:00:21It's 150 metres long, 66 metres in the air
0:00:21 > 0:00:25and it is, without doubt, the scariest thing I have ever taken on.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29'I'm doing it for Comic Relief, to help change the lives
0:00:29 > 0:00:32'of vulnerable people in the UK and in Africa.'
0:00:32 > 0:00:34How can you not help this face?
0:00:34 > 0:00:36'The wire is waiting.'
0:00:36 > 0:00:39- What's the name of the game? - Stay on the wire.
0:00:39 > 0:00:40Name of the game is to stay on the wire.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42'How will I manage?'
0:00:42 > 0:00:44Come on, Helen.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48'Come with me on the highest walk of my life.'
0:00:57 > 0:01:02Battersea Power Station in London.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05It's the biggest brick building in Europe,
0:01:05 > 0:01:08taking up the space of three football pitches.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13Battersea used to provide electricity for London,
0:01:13 > 0:01:15but it shut down almost 30 years ago.
0:01:15 > 0:01:22Now it's a dangerous building site and a major sport and film location.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29An entire population's been taken inside that place to be converted.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35I can't afford to feel threatened or nervous.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37I need to own this.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40What I'm attempting needs a dramatic backdrop -
0:01:40 > 0:01:43welcome to the world of high wire.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46It's an art that developed thousands of years ago,
0:01:46 > 0:01:50performed in the highest and scariest places.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54Only a few highly trained people in the world dare do it.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58And unlike me, some without even a safety harness.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01High-wire walking takes years to learn.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05I first stepped on a wire just three months ago.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10'I start my training on a low, tight wire,
0:02:10 > 0:02:13'but there's more falling than walking.'
0:02:13 > 0:02:14This is so annoying!
0:02:14 > 0:02:18Then I take on my first live performance.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24I lose my concentration not once...
0:02:24 > 0:02:26but twice.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32It's terrifying, but I do it.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37Next, I go to France
0:02:37 > 0:02:42to train with world-famous high-wire walker Jade Kinder-Martin.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44What a wake-up call that is.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47I was a bit disappointed in her level.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50I thought she had been practising a little bit more
0:02:50 > 0:02:54and I thought she was more capable of keeping her balance on the wire.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58I feel like I've just had a massive wet fish of realisation
0:02:58 > 0:03:00slap me in the face - this is hard.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04'I have to get to grips with a heavy balance pole
0:03:04 > 0:03:06- 'and the pain of falling off.' - Oh, no. Come on, now.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11After a few weeks of specialist training,
0:03:11 > 0:03:15I finally complete an 80-metre long wire, 20 metres up.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17Ta-da!
0:03:18 > 0:03:22But that's small scale compared to what I'm facing now.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26Battersea is three times the height of the highest point
0:03:26 > 0:03:31of my practice walk, and also about twice the length.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33So Helen will be challenged.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47It couldn't be any more threatening.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50This is just taking away every bit of confidence I have.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52Look at me - I'm doing this,
0:03:52 > 0:03:54shrugging my shoulders, and I just...
0:03:54 > 0:03:56I want to hide.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03My high wire will be suspended
0:04:03 > 0:04:06across the heart of the old power station,
0:04:06 > 0:04:09where coal was burned in huge boilers,
0:04:09 > 0:04:11but the roof is long gone.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13All I'm going to be able to see
0:04:13 > 0:04:19from up there is a cobweb of steel girders and scaffolding.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26There's nothing for it but to get up there and have a look.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30We're heading up the south-west chimney to the point
0:04:30 > 0:04:33I'll hopefully finish at.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36I'm OK with this height, because there's a cage in front of me.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47Three, two, one.
0:04:52 > 0:04:53Thank you.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00Actually, this is the first...
0:05:00 > 0:05:04tinge of excitement I've had since arriving
0:05:04 > 0:05:10at Battersea Power Station. From here, I can see just how high it is.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12It's...
0:05:12 > 0:05:13insane.
0:05:13 > 0:05:18This is all going to be about whether I can hold my nerve.
0:05:18 > 0:05:23This is ultimately going to come down to whether I have
0:05:23 > 0:05:26the bottle and the focus to do this.
0:05:26 > 0:05:31'My day at Battersea has really shaken me up.'
0:05:31 > 0:05:34The scariest thing about this is failing.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36You know, there's a real chance that
0:05:36 > 0:05:41I might get tired. My shoulder might give out, I might slip
0:05:41 > 0:05:44and I'll fall off the wire and it'll be game over.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46I can't acknowledge that to anybody
0:05:46 > 0:05:49because I have to be positive about this.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52I have to say, "I can do this. Come on, Helen,
0:05:52 > 0:05:55"let's party on and do this.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59"It's Red Nose Day. This is for fun and..."
0:05:59 > 0:06:03So, outwardly, I feel I have to be all "yay".
0:06:03 > 0:06:05Inwardly I'm thinking, "What am I doing?"
0:06:07 > 0:06:11I have to remember why I'm doing this.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15The charity behind Red Nose Day, Comic Relief, uses money you raise
0:06:15 > 0:06:18to help vulnerable people in the UK and Africa.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22During a break in training, I travel to Uganda in Africa
0:06:22 > 0:06:25to see for myself how it's helping.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30Kampala is the capital of Uganda.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34More than a million people live here, but, shockingly,
0:06:34 > 0:06:39up to 2,000 children are sleeping on the streets every night.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42It's a dangerous place to be.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48I can't quite believe what I'm seeing.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55This is 12-year-old Hamsa.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58He sleeps by the side of the road
0:06:58 > 0:07:02with only a piece of cardboard and a potato sack to keep him warm.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05How long has Hamsa been living on the streets?
0:07:05 > 0:07:09- He's been on the streets over two years.- Two years?- Two years.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16Hamsa's mum died and he fell out with his step-mum.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20He told me she threatened him with a knife, so he ran away.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24What's it like going to sleep here every night?
0:07:24 > 0:07:28HE SPEAKS THE LOCAL LANGUAGE
0:07:28 > 0:07:31TRANSLATION: Terrible. I don't like it.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35There's not really a lot you can say to that, is there?
0:07:35 > 0:07:39He's said it himself. It's terrible here. He doesn't like it.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42As yet, I guess he feels like he's got no option.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47'Meeting Hamsa really affects me.'
0:07:47 > 0:07:50How can you not help this face?
0:07:50 > 0:07:53'So I decide to spend the rest of the day with him.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56'It's early and Kampala is coming to life.'
0:07:56 > 0:07:59As if this isn't bad enough, I'm sitting here and thinking,
0:07:59 > 0:08:02"What is on the back of my neck?"
0:08:02 > 0:08:05The people who live up there are brushing their rubbish
0:08:05 > 0:08:08onto these guys' heads. This is their bedroom.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15'Breakfast is a kind of porridge and deep fried vegetables.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18'Hamsa pays for it with the tiny bit of money he earns
0:08:18 > 0:08:21'collecting plastic bottles off the streets.'
0:08:23 > 0:08:24It's all right.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27Cheers, boys.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38'But after breakfast, something shocking happens.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42'Just out of view of the camera behind the green car,
0:08:42 > 0:08:45'someone robs me.'
0:08:49 > 0:08:53Someone shoved me against the van, pulled my necklace from my throat.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57Hamsa went running down the street after him to try and get it back.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00My hero.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03And on the one hand, I'm like,
0:09:03 > 0:09:06"Oh, that's amazing. What a little legend he is."
0:09:06 > 0:09:09But on the other, it's making me think...
0:09:09 > 0:09:11This is the type of environment he's living in.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15'He's only 12, but Hamsa has to look out for himself.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18'It's not a safe way of living.'
0:09:18 > 0:09:22This is how he has to cope to live on the streets.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25'He spends hours every day collecting bottles.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29'And after all that, he'll make about £1.50.'
0:09:33 > 0:09:37But with your support, Hamsa CAN have a better future.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41The money you raise on Red Nose Day helps fund projects like this -
0:09:41 > 0:09:46a drop-in centre for children with nowhere else to go.
0:09:46 > 0:09:51It's run by a charity called Retrack. It's a bit like a school.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54Hamsa's put on his school uniform and since then,
0:09:54 > 0:09:57he's pretty much been grinning from ear to ear.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00This is a real haven for him.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06'It's a safe place, offering a decent meal and somewhere to play.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10'The boys can even sleep there overnight, if they want to.'
0:10:12 > 0:10:16It's a completely different world. And he's a completely different kid.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20'Hamsa seems to enjoy it, but he never stays that long.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23'He feels he has to get back to the streets to earn money.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25'It's what he knows.'
0:10:27 > 0:10:32In just one day, I've seen how difficult life is for Hamsa.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36Saying goodbye is incredibly hard.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41I will probably never see him again, and I...
0:10:41 > 0:10:44won't know what happens to him.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46Good luck, Hamsa. Goodbye.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51'But that isn't the end of the story.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53'The next day, to my total surprise,
0:10:53 > 0:10:56I see a familiar face at the school.'
0:10:56 > 0:11:00I thought I would never see Hamsa again when we parted ways
0:11:00 > 0:11:02last night and he stayed here.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05He didn't sleep on the street for the first time in two years
0:11:05 > 0:11:06because he had somewhere else to go,
0:11:06 > 0:11:09because of the support you give this charity.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12You can make a difference by getting involved.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16'I've got all the motivation I need.'
0:11:21 > 0:11:24But pulling off this challenge isn't just down to me.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26Even building the wire
0:11:26 > 0:11:31is a massive operation. It will take a specialist team of riggers
0:11:31 > 0:11:34four days to do, working in difficult conditions.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40Brian Donaldson is the man in charge.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42There's a lot of scaffolding. I'm hanging on for dear life.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45There's so much scaffolding. Is this safe?
0:11:45 > 0:11:49It is listed as a dangerous building, a dangerous structure.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52There is a risk of falling debris and brick work.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54OK, we're in this together now.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57It's hard for you. It's hard for me, Brian.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00I'm going to let you go and rig me a safe wire
0:12:00 > 0:12:02and stop eating into your time. Thank you, Brian.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07The wire will be 150 metres long,
0:12:07 > 0:12:10suspended between two of the original chimneys.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13It'll be 66 metres high
0:12:13 > 0:12:18and held firm by a series of smaller cables called cavalettis,
0:12:18 > 0:12:20to stop it wobbling.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23I'll be attached to a safety cable running above.
0:12:28 > 0:12:33First job, wrapping giant slings round each chimney to hold the wire.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36Not easy in this weather.
0:12:41 > 0:12:46The next day, Brian and his team are ready to lift the safety cable.
0:12:46 > 0:12:51Then the wire I'll walk on can be hoisted into place.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55It's great to be in the position now to actually lift the wire,
0:12:55 > 0:12:58after weeks and months of planning, preparations and meetings.
0:12:58 > 0:13:03Made of steel, it's their single heaviest piece of equipment,
0:13:03 > 0:13:08and at 175 kilograms it weighs more than two grown men.
0:13:17 > 0:13:22'With two days to go, I see my wire for the first time.'
0:13:22 > 0:13:25It looks so long from down here.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28There's a bigger dip than I expected.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31I'm going to have to go downhill and uphill.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34I don't know how to go downhill. Oh, dear.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36'But pulling it any tighter
0:13:36 > 0:13:39'would put too much strain on the chimneys.'
0:13:43 > 0:13:48Seriously, what was I thinking?
0:13:48 > 0:13:50I've got to walk on that!
0:13:52 > 0:13:55But the wire isn't safe to walk on yet.
0:13:55 > 0:14:00Every piece of equipment has to be checked and checked again,
0:14:00 > 0:14:04especially when it comes to the emergency-rescue plan.
0:14:04 > 0:14:09So the retrieval device - that's what'll kick into action if I fall.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12Yeah, it's a pulley that runs along the safety cable.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15We tie a rope to either end of that pulley.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19In the worst case of you coming off, unable to get back on the wire,
0:14:19 > 0:14:23we can always pull you back to the closest end, if we have to.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27That would be horrific if you were having to pull me.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31'It's a worst-case scenario, but it could save my life.'
0:14:34 > 0:14:38There's just one day before my Red Nose Day walk.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42My instructor Jade's arrived to inspect the wire.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46With his experience, he'll know if there's anything wrong.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48Perfect. Wonderful. Good job.
0:14:52 > 0:14:57- Yeah, that's just about where it starts to pull.- 'Copy that.'
0:14:57 > 0:15:00That would be good.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04Jade's happy with the wire, but he's worried about the wind and rain.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07Similar situation tomorrow...
0:15:07 > 0:15:09I would advise Helen not to go.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12I'd rather not put anybody else at risk, especially not my riggers,
0:15:12 > 0:15:15who would have to rescue her if something happened tomorrow.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21We've got to hope the conditions are good for tomorrow, for Helen.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24The wire is ready, but am I?
0:15:26 > 0:15:29If I fall off the wire and I'm hanging underneath it
0:15:29 > 0:15:33and someone has to drag me back on it or drag me across, then...
0:15:33 > 0:15:36I will have failed.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39Yeah, I can get back on and have another go - sure I can - but...
0:15:39 > 0:15:41in my head, I'll have failed.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44And that's the worst thing.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49It's the day of the walk.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51In an hour's time, I'll be stepping out
0:15:51 > 0:15:54on a wire over Battersea Power Station.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00Conditions are wet and windy.
0:16:00 > 0:16:01There it is.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03There's Battersea.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07The wind's coming on to the side. It'll push her one way or another.
0:16:07 > 0:16:08Uh-oh.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14Have you considered for a second what you're actually doing today?
0:16:21 > 0:16:25The pressure on me feels enormous.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27I am a bit scared.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30She needs to trust herself.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34She needs to trust her time with me.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36This is it.
0:16:36 > 0:16:37I do feel a bit sick.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47- I've just got to do it. - Yes, do your thing. Do your thing.
0:16:47 > 0:16:52I don't think she will be able to do it, cos tight-rope walking
0:16:52 > 0:16:55is what you have to learn for years till you're really good at it.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57It's going to be tough.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05I set out to do a job. Now it's time to finish the job.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23Oh, it's so windy.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27Now I'm like, "OK, I just want this over with.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29"Let's get across to the other side,
0:17:29 > 0:17:32"put this to bed and everyone can have a nice time."
0:17:37 > 0:17:41It is the freakiest thing I've ever had to deal with.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45It's a sheer drop and I'm walking on a piece of wire.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47This is so intense.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54- What's the name of the game? - To stay on the wire.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58The game of the game is to stay on the wire.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08Take it all in.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10This is it.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14This is your one chance.
0:18:14 > 0:18:15Come on, Helen!
0:18:16 > 0:18:18When you're ready, Helen.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22It's in your hands.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26- OK.- Keep your eyes out in front.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39Move your fingers.
0:18:39 > 0:18:45One step in front of the other - that's how we get to the other side.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01I've got you in my ear now, so I can hear you.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09This girl's amazing, isn't she?
0:19:16 > 0:19:19Relax your shoulders. There you go.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22Pull your arms in.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38'The wire is wobbling, and I know I'm doing it.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40'I need to take control.'
0:19:44 > 0:19:46She's a bit nervous,
0:19:46 > 0:19:51but she's using all the techniques that I've taught her.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09- Mate!- Am I really seeing this?
0:20:09 > 0:20:11Am I really seeing this?
0:20:11 > 0:20:14That's our mate up there. That's Helen doing that.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37I don't think there's an easy or hard part in the whole walk.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41She's looking good. She was a little nervous -
0:20:41 > 0:20:44"Where am I, what am I doing up here?" Now she knows where she is.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56Slow down on the pulley.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04It's "do something funny for money", but I'm not finding it funny.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07- ANDY:- I'm not finding it funny at all.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09At all.
0:21:18 > 0:21:24'The wind is really starting to pick up. I feel totally exposed.'
0:21:24 > 0:21:27Ah, wind, please go away.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34You can do it. You can do it. You can do it.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Come on, Helen!
0:21:39 > 0:21:42'I'm out on a limb, but I've only got one place to go.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00'As the uphill gets steeper, my arms are burning.'
0:22:15 > 0:22:18- She's about three metres from the end.- Oh, mate!
0:22:18 > 0:22:20Come on, Helen.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33'I know I'm almost there, but I daren't look up.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36'I need to focus more than ever.'
0:23:18 > 0:23:20SHE SCREAMS
0:23:20 > 0:23:22Yes!
0:23:32 > 0:23:33Thank you.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44I'm so relieved! Honestly, I hated that at the start.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47The first few metres, I was like, "Get me off here!"
0:23:47 > 0:23:51Only reason I didn't go back was "I can't let Jade and Brian down".
0:23:51 > 0:23:53At the end, I really started to enjoy it.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58I'm absolutely gobsmacked. I'm blown away.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01Someone who's only had 22 days' training.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03When she was out there, she was so focused.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06She nailed it first time. It's incredible.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08Wonderful, wonderful.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11You make me proud. You make me proud.
0:24:11 > 0:24:16Job done! The UK's highest-ever wire walk by a woman.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19Well done! So proud of you. Amazing.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22Well done. Absolutely brilliant.