The Royal Free Charity recently invited her to watch the footage back for the first time.
Chief nurse revisits her Brave New Heights moment
Chief nurse Julie Hamilton reflects on her Brave New Heights abseil and supporting Royal Free Charity.
When Julie Hamilton, group chief nurse, stepped backwards off the Pears Building last summer, she became the first Royal Free London staff member to take on the Brave New Heights abseil.
In the video, Julie reflects on what it felt like to lean back over the edge and to hear colleagues cheering from below.
I can hear everybody at the bottom and they’re all cheering and that feels absolutely amazing because I felt like I was doing a really good thing, not just for me but also for the charity.
Julie describes the moment as daunting but energising: “The whole way it was organised, it felt really safe. I felt really protected and the adrenaline rush at the end was amazing.”
As group chief nurse and as a trustee of the Royal Free Charity, Julie wanted to show visible support for the partnership between the two organisations.
We’re really lucky here with the relationship between the charity and the trust. I really wanted to do something as a trustee and as a chief nurse that would benefit the charity and then ultimately benefit the Royal Free London alongside.
Brave New Heights returns on Friday 19 and Saturday 20 June 2026, giving Royal Free London teams the opportunity to take on the 90-foot descent from the Pears Building.
There is a discounted registration fee for NHS colleagues using the code NHS20.