First disabled team crosses Europe's largest ice cap in just 11 days

A former rugby player was part of the first fully disabled team to cross Europe's largest ice cap.

Ed Jackson, who played for Bath and England, completed the feat in just 11 days alongside life coach Darren Edwards and biologist Dr Niall McCann.

The trio crossed Iceland's Vatnajokull Glacier to raise funds for mental health charity Millimetres 2 Mountains.

They had some close shaves with bad weather that pushed their bodies to the limit.

Mr Jackson, now 34, was left with paralysis and weakness down one side of his body after breaking his neck diving into a swimming pool.

It prompted him to find Millimetres 2 Mountains with his wife Lois, which works with people recovering from physical and psychological trauma to create positive change in their lives.

Mr Edwards was a mountaineer and army reservist before he was left paralysed from the waist down following a climbing accident.

He is now a motivational speaker and resilience coach.

Dr McCann, who researches endangered species in remote areas, was left with limited use of his legs following a paragliding accident.

Mr Jackson and Dr McCann travelled on skis because of their walking difficulties and loss of sensation in their lower limbs.

Mr Edwards used a sit ski and propelled himself with his arms using poles.

Before the challenge, Mr Jackson remarked: "Between us we've kind of got one working body. But then we've also got one body that doesn't work at all."

The weather pushed the men's physical strength and mental resilience to the limit.

They faced 100kph winds, temperatures of -27C (-17F) and sometimes driving rain.

On one night Mr Jackson and Dr McCann were forced to leave their tent in the midst of a blizzard to try to prevent it from blowing away.

Mr Jackson faced the conditions with no gloves and wearing only his socks, because his disability would not allow him to get dressed fast enough.

"We needed all hands on deck, and if any one of us had slipped to the side at any point it could have been over," Dr McCann said.

But it was not all hardship - in fact the men said they got quite cosy on their epic journey.

Dr McCann joked: "When we got back to Reykjavik, Ed and I shared a double bed, I was like 'it feels like we've got too much space, shall we snuggle up a little bit closer?"

More adventures could also be on the horizon.

"We have all bought into that life of adventure - it's part of our recovery, it's an important part of all of our lives and it is not something that is going to end in a hurry."

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