TWO disabled adventurers are set to conquer the highest mountain in Wales thanks to a group of volunteers at a Southampton charity.
The volunteers at Jubilee Sailing Trust (JST), will be helping David Bainbridge and Abi Bubb as they scale Snowdon in the hope of raising more than £20,000.
David lives with a rare genetic disorder called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, and Abi has a physical disability called Arthrogryposes which affects the muscles in her arms and legs.
READ MORE: Southampton sailing charity must raise £500k in week to survive
They will be joined by a 14-strong team as they aim to conquer the 1,035m ascent with all money raised going to the Southampton-based charity.
Setting off on September 24, the JST team will aid the pair on their challenge by taking it in turns to assist York-based Abi and pull David along in his wheelchair all the way to the summit.
David from Peterborough said: “I live with a number of significant physical and mental conditions and use a wheelchair, so when I decided to fundraise for the charity, I knew that whatever I chose to do was going to hurt a lot.
"However, I figured it had to be big enough to be worth the additional pain, fatigue, discomfort and risks.
“That’s why the challenge had to show that no matter how hard and limiting my illness is, 'I can do hard things'. I just don’t quit and that’s why I make a conscious decision daily to choose life and try to live life to full despite its many challenges.”
Chair of the JST’s London branch, Graham Strudwick, is coordinating the team and after over 20 years of sailing with JST is committed to honour them.
Earlier this year he climbed Mount Kenya to raise funds for JST and is determined to do more to safeguard the Trust and Tenacious.
He said: “Our hardy team each come with various skills that will help David and Abi achieve this spectacular feat, either through good mountaineering or hill walking experience or just a strong determination to get them to the top, and back down again.”
Money raised by the challenge will be used to help JST’s recovery from the impact of Covid-19 meaning Tenacious will be able to embark on more inclusive voyages for mixed-ability crews.
The challenge comes just months after the trust announced it had to raise £500k in a week in order to survive.
The fundraiser for their challenge can be found here.
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