Double amputee boy, 8, reaches fell summit

Tony was joined by veteran mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington and fellow double amputee Hari Budha Magar

An eight-year-old boy who had both legs amputated after he was abused as a baby has walked to the summit of a Lake District fell.

Tony Hudgell's trek up Orrest Head, which overlooks Windermere, has raised more than £19,000 for charity, way beyond his original £500 target.

He was joined by veteran mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington and double amputee former Gurkha Hari Budha Magar.

Tony's adoptive mother, Paula Hudgell, said seeing him reach the summit was "so incredible".

"Anybody who knows Tony knows that he is a complete whirlwind," she said.

"He's a force to be reckoned with.

"I reckon we could have climbed probably the highest mountain now.

"I think it might have started something."

Paula Hudgell said reaching the summit of Orrest Head was "incredible"

Tony, from Kings Hill in Kent, lost both legs after serious injuries were inflicted by his birth parents, who were jailed for 10 years in 2018.

He received Pride of Britain and Points of Light awards for raising more than £1.7m for charity during the pandemic.

His latest challenge supported the Tony Hudgell Foundation, Crohn's & Colitis UK, the Bendrigg Trust and The Lake District Foundation.

He said his first fundraising walks had left him wanting to climb a mountain.

The family later met Cumbrian guide Steve Watts who made the wish reality.

Tony is "a complete whirlwind", according to his family

Mr Watts said they picked Orrest Head because it was the first fell climbed by renowned guidebook author Alfred Wainwright.

However, the author had not prompted the same turnout of wellwishers on the summit as Tony had, he said.

"Talk about endeavour, willpower. For an eight-year-old? Follow that," Mr Watt said.

"How many more is he going to inspire?

"It's not just about the money, it's the legacy.

"It's opening the world to other children and other adults like Tony and Hari."

Tony's adoptive mother Paula Hudgell said the climb "might have started something"

Mrs Hudgell said it had been "so emotional" when Tony was joined as a surprise by Mr Budha Magar, who became the first double above-the-knee amputee to climb Everest in May.

"Hari is a superhero - the same as Tony - and it just shows that, being differently abled, what you can achieve," she said.

"You can achieve anything if you just put your mind to it."

Hari Budha Magar, right, made mountaineering history in May

Mr Budha Magar lost his legs when he stepped on an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan in 2010.

Surprising Tony near the summit of Orrest Head, he left the eight-year-old speechless.