Medway Messenger sub-editor Erica Jones resisted the temptation to write about crew cuts and stern warnings as she reported on her latest adventure.

She was one of a group of intrepid residents of the Medway towns who collected more than £4,000 for local charities by abseiling down the side of the former spy submarine, HMS Ocelot, which is now in permanent dry dock at The Historic Dockyard Chatham.

"It was brilliant," she said, after her 70-foot descent from the top of the conning tower to the keel of the black hunter-killer.

"I was nervous at first. Getting started was difficult because the rain had made the surface slippery.

"In the end, all you could do was sit down and slide off into the abyss, a leap of faith really."

It was the first time anyone had been able to abseil down a submarine.

She said: "I would definitely do it again, but preferably when it is not so wet."

Among the charities to benefit was the Kent and Medway walking bus project which is supported by the paper's parent company, Kent Messenger Group.