Jon's Story

Throughout Jon's life he has had a passion for rock climbing and over time became an accomplished climber. Then his life turned upside down with a tragic accident in January 2019 which resulted in him losing his left leg. After the amputation he was wheelchair bound for 7mths before receiving a prosthetic leg and physiotherapy to learn to walk again.

However, even before learning to walk, he was attempting to climb again albeit one-legged and straight from his wheelchair! Jon says "Climbing is my therapy, it has got me through this life changing event". He now climbs regularly with a prosthetic suitable for climbing and somewhat remarkably he has slowly re-learnt to climb such that his climbing level is approaching that of his pre-accident days. In 2021 he climbed the Old Man of Hoy and last summer submitted Tre Cime in the Dolomites (via Yellow Edge). He has entered para climbing competitions and last November won his amputee category at a national competition at Awesome Walls Stockport. This in turn resulted in him being invited to join the GB Para-Climbing Team and the opportunity to represent GB in international para climbing competitions.

In addition to climbing, Jon is a volunteer at a children's outdoor activity centre (Duke's Barn, Derbyshire) and is a passionate believer in learning through adventure. Jon has qualified as an outdoor instructor and works with Derby Hospital amputee centre supporting other amputees in climbing and other outdoor activities. He also has the claim to fame of appearing on Blue Peter recently, albeit very briefly, to support the new disabled presenter, Abby Cook in an abseil off the viaduct at Millers Dale (and yes she got down safely and yes he was awarded a badge!).

Team GB + support requested

Team GB para climbers are an incredibly supportive and close knit team. Team GB provide direct financial support paying for competition entrance fees, international licence, coaching + mentoring and have negotiated free access to some climbing walls (such as Awesome Walls). However, the budgets are incredibly tight and they don't support travel or accommodation costs for either the national or international competitions. The former may be over two days and the latter require a minimum of a 4 day trip. Jon, who is not in paid employment, is seeking to meet most of the cost of the national competitions himself but cannot afford to go to the international competitions. This is a shame for Jon, a loss for Britain and a missed opportunity to promote para climbing - hence this crowdfunding drive.

Jon is seeking financial help through Just Giving for the following international competitions: Climbing World Cup events at Innsbruck and Villars and the highlight of the year, the World Championship at Bern. Jon is not seeking to attend a World Cup event at Salt Lake City (too expensive).

In addition to the above, he is competing in national events in Wales, Scotland and England. In the unlikely event that Jon has a surplus from this crowdfunding drive this will be used to support him in 2024.

Support

As well being a member of Team GB Jon is a member of the British Mountaineering council. His local climbing club is the Derwent Mountaineering Club (DMC) of which Jon has been an active member for many years and this crowdfunding drive is sponsored by the club. Both Team GB and the BMC encourage team members to actively fundraise to support their participation in competitions and this drive is in line with their advice.

Finally, we really appreciate any support you can give Jon, either financially through Just Giving, or in messages of support or indeed in any other way you see fit. If you want more information you are very welcome to either contact Jon direct (jon-sarahshields@hotmail.co.uk) or myself (greg.john.jennings@googlemail.com).

As a nation we really should be doing more to be as inclusive as possible.

Greg Jennings (President, Derwent Mountaineering Club)