Wheelchair user 'devastated' to pause coastal challenge

Ben Parker said there was "Nothing left" when he paused his challenge

A wheelchair user with multiple sclerosis (MS) who embarked on a coast-to-coast challenge is "devastated" to have paused the journey 53 miles (85km) from the finish.

Ben Parker, 49, from Saffron Walden in Essex, was diagnosed with MS in 2009 and started using a wheelchair in 2023 when he struggled to use his legs.

However, before getting to the finish line of the challenge which would see him go from Ness Point in Lowestoft, Suffolk, to Land's End in Cornwall, he said his body and mind "gave up" leading him to pause the challenge, which he hoped to resume in October.

"When it came to that very last day I was struggling to push myself downhill - there was nothing left," he said.

Ben Parker says he was "devastated" to have had to pause the challenge 53 miles short of the finish line

Mr Parker wanted to "flippantly" take on the challenge and go east to west across England instead of going from the top to the bottom of the UK, or vice versa.

MS is a condition where the immune system attacks cells in the brain and spinal cord, affecting how people move, think and feel.

He said: "They call these things a challenge and there's a reason for that. If it was simple we would all be doing it."

Mr Parker had spent 14 days pushing himself in his wheelchair covering between 31 miles (50km) and 47 miles (75km) per day.

"It broke my heart. On Sunday I was absolutely devastated... I'm still not at the point of being proud of what I've done just yet because I didn't finish, yet."

Ben Parker said he had struggled with the demands of the challenge

However, he said there had been numerous factors including his MS symptoms and fatigue which led to him pausing the challenge.

"I am quite impressed with what I've been doing... it's not been finished yet, and I do emphasise the yet, because it will get finished," he said.

"I don't want to let anybody down with this."

Across 14 days he faced a variety of weather conditions and has raised almost £6,000 for charities Andy's Man Club and No Child Without.

"I went through storms in Cornwall, the heat at the beginning was quite something," he said.

"It was tough going but I cannot emphasise how amazing the people have been on the whole route.

"I did get pulled over by the police at one point... I've never been done for going too slow."

Mr Parker, who teaches maths in Harlow, said he was ready to get back into training and hoped to be back out on the road to complete the challenge in the next school holiday at the end of October.

Mr Parker's partner Louise Hayes has been travelling behind in a car to support him along the way