Paper talk inspires disabled duo to walk the walk

Disabled ex-servicemen Rich Potter and Rich Davies (wearing) hat are preparing for the Bhutan snowman trek

Two disabled ex-servicemen have told how a journalist's remark about fitness inspired them to take on one of the world's toughest trekking challenges.

Rich Potter, 40, and Rich Davies, 37, who both live in Norfolk, are preparing to make the snowman trek in Bhutan to raise money for charity and set a record.

Both have had below-the-knee leg amputations after accidents and both won gold medals in the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf, Germany, in 2023.

Mr Potter, a former Army captain, said a reporter at the games telling him he was "in very good shape for a bloke with one leg" had sparked the idea of a Himalayan expedition.

Rich Davies (left) and Rich Potter aim to set a record and raise money for charity

The two men are due to leave for Bhutan in early October and are aiming to become the "first and fastest amputees" to complete the trek.

They told BBC Radio Norfolk how they aimed to complete the trek of around 220 miles (around 370 km) in 35 days.

Mr Potter and Mr Davies, a former RAF corporal, are raising money for the Royal British Legion and Blesma - a charity which supports limbless veterans.

They said the trek would take them through 11 mountain passes and to heights of more than 16,000 ft (more than 5,000 m).

Both said they appreciated the irony of living in Norfolk - one of the flattest counties in England.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on a trek to the Tiger's Nest monastery near Paro, Bhutan, during a 2016 royal tour to India and Bhutan

"After the Invictus Games, a reporter interviewed me and he said I was in very good shape for a bloke with one leg," Mr Potter told BBC Radio Norfolk's Chris Goreham.

"And that made me realise that there is a really strange attitude towards disabled people in this country.

"We are almost lumped into two brackets: the Paralympic athletes then there's everybody else."

He added: "The reality is that cannot be further from the truth.

"So we want to showcase what normal, regular disabled people can do and hopefully inspire other disabled people into taking on their own challenges."

The Snowman Trek

• Widely considered to be one of the hardest treks in the world, only a handful of people each year attempt the trek through Lunana, the most remote region of Bhutan, according to a BBC travel article

• Of the few who do set out along the high mountain passes, less than half complete the route due to altitude sickness or heavy snowfall

• The trek, which starts in Drukgyel Dzong and ends in Sephu, crosses 11 passes of more than 4,500m, following trails through yak herder settlements and isolated farms, against an eye-bulgingly beautiful backdrop of Himalayan peaks

• The window of opportunity for this high altitude undertaking is vanishingly small – the short season when the paths are likely (but not guaranteed) to be open runs from late September to mid-October

Neither man competed in long distance events at the Invictus Games.

Mr Potter won sprint medals - Mr Davies swimming medals.

They said they had trained in gyms and on Pen y Fan in the Brecon Beacons.

The two men will walk with guides and pack animals will carry food and equipment.

They said the weather could be the most difficult obstacle.

Mr Davies lost a leg three years ago after being hit by a vehicle while serving in the RAF.

Mr Potter lost a leg in 2019 after complication following a sports injury.