A record breaking achievement
Neil Heritage, 39, was told he would never walk again after losing both of his legs in Iraq in 2004, but on the 7th August he proved doctors wrong when he reached the peak of the Matterhorn (4,692ft) on his third attempt. Neil, from Poole in Dorset, founded a charity called Climb2Recovery and his Matterhorn climbing team included six other wounded, injured or sick veterans. Prior to the Matterhorn climb, Neil has completed triathlons, learned to scuba dive and ski and also completed a 3000-mile row across the Atlantic.
BBC coverage of Neil’s epic achievement
Under deep blue skies it was an incredible achievement for Neil Heritage to reach the summit of the Matterhorn. An arduous climb at the best of times but as a double amputee and extraordinary feat of courage and endurance.
Many congratulations to Neil and his team for the success and we also thank our many sponsors and supporters who indirectly have contributed to funding Neil to this tremendous success through the a Team Army Sports Foundation grant.
Even though other great challenges have been postponed this year the support to Neil comes after other notable achievements made by our serving and veteran communities. This included Invictus UK, Team Endeavour Racing, the Royal Navy and Army entries to the Talisker trans Atlantic challenge and others.
Well done and thank you for your ongoing support – this sort of funding can make all the difference..
Climb2Recovery is a charity that offers climbing courses to help with both physical and mental recovery. The charity aims to make the sport more accessible to both beginners and experienced climbers, whatever their current abilities.
Much more than that though, through climbing the charity wants to build all-important support networks. Many of the veterans that climb with the charity have stayed on as part of its 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, Climb2Recovery has 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 its UK courses, veterans can also go on to develop a fulfilling career in climbing with the chance to qualify as rock climbing instructors themselves.
