The Challenge :

A double amputee Army veteran Neil Heritage is set to attempt to climb the Matterhorn for the third time... set back by weather and route difficulties in 2016 & 18 and with 17 not even being able to set foot on the mountain if Neil manages to summit what is one of the worlds deadliest peaks then he will become the first ever double above knee amputee to summit the iconic mountain.

Neil is being supported in this endeavour by a team of wounded injured and sick veterans themselves all beneficiaries of the charity Climb 2 Recovery set up by Neil to help his fellow veterans find new friends, purpose and even qualifications via climbing and hopes this challenge will raise enough money to continue this good work.

About the charity :

Climb2Recovery is a charity that offers climbing courses to help with both physical and mental recovery. We aim to make the sport more accessible to both beginners and experienced climbers, whatever their current abilities.

Much more than that though, through climbing we want to build all-important support networks. Many of the veterans that climb with us have stayed on as part of our community, taking part in multiple courses, and the hope is that the friendships and contacts they make will lead to them finding lifelong climbing partners as well as peer mentoring and training opportunities.

Since 2016, we’ve created a whole range of courses and activities for the WIS community, from Alpine training in Chamonix to beginners’ sessions in the UK and sports climbing expeditions in Spain. Through our UK courses, veterans can also go on to develop a fulfilling career in climbing with the chance to qualify as rock climbing instructors themselves.

Since Climb 2 Recovery formed in 2016

• We have engaged with 38 veterans, 36 of which remain on the program.

• We have helped 8 veterans qualify as Rock climbing instructors.

• Taken 28 veterans on Alpine climbing courses over a 4-year period.

• We have run 8 climbing courses in the UK.

• Provided 2 climbing trips to El Chorro in Spain.