IT WAS an icy, gruelling journey that would have been tough for many able-bodied people.

But this group of injured ex-service men and hampshire dad Alex Lewis were willing to accept the challenge.

Alex joined the New Milton-based military charity Pilgrim Bandits, on their latest expedition with amputees from the armed forces.

He is the inspirational dad, whose life was turned upside down by a flesh eating bacteria which led to the amputation of all four limbs.

The 36-year-old Stockbridge resident was invited to become a civilian ambassador for Pilgrim Bandits due to his “remarkable can-do attitude” following a shocking series of events which began in 2013.

During two weeks the group kayaked across a section of the Artic amid icebergs and glacier fronts in the frozen waters around Greenland, the world’s largest island.

On the journey disabled kayakers were paired with able-bodied in double kayaks.

The amputee kayakers paddled up to 20 miles a day, for up to five hours, and then made camp before cooking for the evening.

Alex joined Lance Bombadier Ben Parkinson MBE, Corporal Vince Manley, Adam Cyr from the Canadian Special Forces, ex-Royal Artilleryman Stuart Holcroft, Lance Corporal Tyler Christopher, former Black Watch Sergeant Colin Hamilton, and Able Seaman James McMullen. Other members of the group can’t be named as they are still serving.

A spokesman for the expedition said: “We took eight injured lads and four able-bodied and kayaked about 120 miles in distance through fjords and past icebergs. They all saw the Northern Lights. It all went really well.

“We had a special dry suit made for Alex but it was much too hot for him. He spent the rest of time in t-shirt and shorts.”

Two particularly exciting moments stood out to the team.

The spokesman added: “We were in our kayaks and the whole side of a glacier broke off and slipped into the water. That caused a 12-foot tsunami wave. It lifted us up with the huge wave and we just had to ride it out.”

Another similar occasion happened when an iceberg cracked in half causing a huge wave.

During the expedition the team saw seals sunbathing on icebergs, white tailed eagles, and one occasion had a close encounter with a humpback whale.

He said: “When we paddled into the main fjord a humpback whale came out of the water just alongside us. It was 16-18 foot. Normally you see the spout first but this came out of nowhere. It just rose up next to us. It was unbelievable.”

The project cost £44,000 and this was all raised by the Pilgrim Bandits charity.

The charity raised an additional £12,000 which will go towards its funds.

The charity is fundraising toward a purpose-built kayaking training centre on the south coast of England. Pilgrim Bandits provides training for injured ex-servicemen interested in pursuing a career in the leisure sector or to simply train for expeditions.

Pilgrim Bandits are now preparing for their next expedition which will be down the Orange River in South Africa in 2017.