Ex-rugby star aiming to set car-pull world record

Ed Jackson was told he would never walk again after a spinal injury in 2017

A former professional rugby player turned disabled adventurer is aiming to break a world record for the distance a car can be pulled in 24 hours.

Ed Jackson played for Bath and Wasps before his career ended when he broke his neck in a swimming pool accident in 2017 and was told he would never walk again.

But since then he has climbed Yr Wyddfa, or Snowdon, Wales' highest peak, scaled a glacier in Iceland, launched a charity and had a film made about his journey.

Mr Jackson and friend Ross Stirling will take on the Car-pull Karaoke challenge on Saturday in aid of the charity Millimetres 2 Mountains.

"It had to be over a tonne of car and the closest to a tonne that we could find was a Kia Picanto," said Mr Jackson.

Every Christmas Mr Jackson and Mr Stirling take on a challenge to raise funds and awareness for the mental health charity that aims to support people facing challenges after life-changing incidents such as traumatic injuries.

The challenge will take place at Bovingdon Airfield in Hertfordshire and people are being asked to make donations and buy tickets to watch.

'Embrace life'

"If you only focus on the things you can't do anymore you spend all your time stressed or upset but there is so much you can still do," Mr Jackson told BBC Radio Bristol.

"I'm fortunate I've made enough of a recovery and got my independence back but I've still very much got a spinal cord injury and a disability.

"I never thought I would start a charity or be pulling a car full of Christmas trees down a runway.

"There's still an amazing life there to be lived you just have to embrace it and go after it."

Mr Jackson suffered a spinal injury when he dived into a shallow pool, which left him struggling with bowel, bladder and sexual function.

He has Brown-Sequard Syndrome, a neurological condition that results in weakness or paralysis of one side of the body and loss of sensation on the other. He walks with a limp.

"When I discovered that my own journey was helping other people deal with the things that they were going through just by sharing my story I felt a sense of purpose again," Mr Jackson said.

"It's about giving them the mental tools to move on from focusing on what they can't do and on to what they can.

"We're way more capable than we give ourselves credit for."