Paralysed adventurer set to return to fundraising after losing leg

A paraplegic adventurer says he is "very excited" to return to fundraising challenges after an injury on Ben Nevis meant he had to have his lower leg amputated.

Shaun Gash, 52, was paralysed in a car crash 32 years ago and has since raised thousands for charity, but had to have the amputation after trying to reach the summit of Ben Nevis in 2018.

He now hopes to be the first paralysed amputee to canoe the Zambezi River.

"This is the big one," he said.

Mr Gash, from Morecambe, Lancashire, decided to take on the challenge while recovering from the amputation, but Covid lockdowns postponed his plans.

Having only been given two days to live after his car accident at the age of 20, he said he has always wanted to "live life to the full".

"I am always looking for the next big challenge to push my own boundaries and inspire others to push theirs when they are faced with a barrier," he said.

"I don't want to look back and think 'I wish I'd done that', I want to look back and think 'I did that'.

"And along the way I'm supporting charities, its all about giving back."

Mr Gash's challenge will take place over 175km of the lower Zambezi River and he said he hoped to complete the challenge in five days.

He has started a Go Fund Me page to raise money for children's wheelchair charity Whizz Kidz and charity Spinal Research.

He says his training routine has had to "completely change" because he will be using a different set of muscles for canoeing, leaving him "out of my comfort zone".

He is currently working with heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury's strength and conditioning conditioning coach.

"I got to know the Fury family through training at the gym in Morecambe and we have become really good friends," Mr Gash said, explaining how he regularly shares motivation text messages with the boxer and how the pair have supported each other through depression.

"I have been embraced into the Fury family and I feel very blessed to have their support," he added.

Mr Gash will be joined by his wife, Dawn, and three other wheelchair users, Liam Morris, 33 from Barrow; Wesley Thomasson, 33 from Blackpool; and Michelle Anna Moffatt, 41, from Dumbarton, for the challenge, which is planned for October 2024.

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