SIA Ambassador Martin Hibbert was the closest person to the 2017 Manchester arena terrorist bomb to survive. As a result of the bomb, 22 people lost their lives, 1,017 were injured and thousands of people were personally and deeply affected by this attack.

During the incident, Martin’s spine was severed by shrapnel, leaving him with a T10 complete spinal cord injury and fortunate to be alive. Despite this horrific trauma, Martin was determined to turn tragedy into something good.

In June 2022, after more than a year of preparation, Martin took on this mammoth challenge with a support team including close friends and specialist nurses.

Climbing Kilimanjaro was ultimately one of the toughest physical challenges ever taken on by someone affected by paralysis. The views were stunning, but the physical strain on the bodies of every climb team member was immense.

Whilst on the climb, Martin used a specially made trike, designed by Mountain Trike (pictured below). This trike used levers to manoeuvre and has comfortable padding, as well a multitude of other modifications. Despite these adjustments, Martin’s body was battered by the hard and uneven mountainous terrain. His arms were also burning as he used his muscles to keep the trike’s wheels moving in the right direction by pumping the levers.

On the most inaccessible parts of the climb, the team used ladders, pushed and pulled the trike using elastic straps, and lifted and moved the trike in mid-air.

Please donate to ensure we can reach the million pound target and help as many people affected by spinal cord injury live a fulfilled life.

If reading Martin’s story of climbing 19,000ft has inspired you to take on some fundraising to support Martin’s Mountain, you can set yourself a personal challenge and tell us about it at supportercare@spinal.co.uk