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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Ruth Suter

Double amputee conquers Ben Nevis in just 12 hours by crawling to summit

A double amputee has conquered Ben Nevis in just 12 hours after scaling the mountain on his hands and knees.

Inspiring Paul Ellis - who lost both of his legs in 2008 - crawled through snow and rocks to reach the 1,345-meter high peak last week.

It is the second time that the courageous 57-year-old has taken on a summit without walking aid after he reached the pinnacle of Mount Snowdon in Wales in September last year.

During his gruelling ascents, Paul, from Windes, Cheshire, has raised around £40,000 for Amp Camp Kids - a charity that pays for amputee children to go abroad on holiday.

Paul scaled the UK's biggest mountain by crawling - and took just 12 hours to reach the top (Lucy McAlpine)

He told the Record: "Ben Nevis was much, much harder than Snowdon.

"I have a lot of blisters on my hands and I have since lost feeling in my fingers from the cold. The terrain was just rocks, snow and water.

"It was very tough mentally and physically but thinking of the kids got me through it."

The dad-of-two became paralysed in 1992 after a life-changing fall.

Just over 15 years later, both of his legs were eventually removed after he suffered a further break to one of his legs.

Prior to that point, Paul had endured agonising pain in his limbs before they were finally removed.

Now, as he conquers colossal heights, Paul hopes to lead as an example to amputee children.

The dad-of-two has since lost the feeling in his fingers due to the snow (Lucy McAlpine)

"I want to show them that if I can do it, so can they", he said.

"It was emotional reaching the top because it wasn't easy but I want the kids to see if they put their head and heart into anything, they can do it."

The group of 30 at the summit of Ben Nevis (Lucy McAlpine)

Paul has been completing fundraising challenges for the charity since 2011. He considers the cause to be "very close" to his heart.

He added: "I believe in the work that Amp Camp Kids does for the children.

"It brings them together in settings where they might have otherwise felt isolated from because of their mobility."

The team of 30 camped at the top overnight before Paul put his prosthetic legs back on for the descent.

Donate to his fundraiser by visiting here.

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