Media office

What?             
Daredevil climber and photographer, Mike Robertson, scaling the 72m tall 1 Snow Hill Plaza and capturing images that have never been seen before as part of the Sony Alpha Unseen Britain Challenge

Where?          
1 Snow Hill Plaza (media to report to reception at NO. 1 Snow Hill Plaza, St Chads Queensway, Birmingham, B4 6JG, opposite St Chad’s Cathedral)

When?            
Tuesday 18 December 2007 -12.30pm onwards
(exact times subject to weather conditions)
- 12.40pm Mike photocall on the ground
- 13.00pm climb to start
- 13.15pm and 13.30pm - two photo stops
- 13.45am – Mike to reach the top of the Plaza

If you want to witness something spectacular, then head to NO. 1 Snow Hill Plaza on Tuesday 18th December where renowned photographer and climber Mike Robertson will endeavour to be the first climber ever to scale the 72m tall iconic structure in Birmingham.

Posing a challenge for Mike, NO. 1 Snow Hill Plaza is impressive in height and a testing climb. Using the fantastic, new Sony Alpha 700 (a700) Digital SLR camera, Mike will reach inaccessible heights and capture images that have never been taken before.

The Sony Alpha Unseen Britain Challenge will see Mike scale some of the UK’s most interesting buildings to capture totally new and exciting photographs of Britain that have never been shared with the public before. Working in conjunction with Visit Britain, Sony, together with Mike, has selected Birmingham’s 1 Snow Hill Plaza as one of only six chosen landmarks to feature in the campaign.

The perfect accompaniment on Mike’s climbs, the Sony Alpha (a700) Digital SLR delivers highly advanced performance and image quality, combined with easy to navigate functionality. With a range of lenses to capture the amazing panorama - this is the perfect camera for any serious enthusiast looking to take their passion for digital photography to the next level.

Paul Genge from Sony says: “Through combining Sony’s advanced technology of the Alpha 700 (a700) and the skills and passion of Mike, we anticipate capturing views from the top of 1 Snow Hill Plaza that have never been seen before.  The images will inspire budding digital photographers to see Britain from a new perspective.”

The pictures taken during Mike’s climb of 1 Snow Hill Plaza, along with the shots from his other climbs for the Unseen Britain campaign, will be displayed on www.sony.co.uk/unseenbritain <http://www.sony.co.uk/unseenbritain>  for the public to vote for their favourite.