Yr Wyddfa: 'I will crutch myself all the way to the summit,' says amputee

Matt Edwards, 24, said: "I just hope people look at me and think, if he can do it, I can do it"

A 24-year-old amputee has said he will "crutch myself all the way to the summit" of a mountain for charity.

Matt Edwards, from Portsmouth, lost his left leg below the knee after a crash in 2018.

He said he will climb Yr Wyddfa, also known as Snowdon, on Saturday to show what can be achieved in the face of adversity, and raise money for charity.

Discussing the challenge, he said: "I just hope people look at me and think, 'If he can do it, I can do it'."

"I also want to show that I don't have a disability, I have a different ability," Mr Edwards says

Mr Edwards was commuting on his motorbike when he was involved in the crash.

"I was in an induced coma and I woke up on Christmas Eve without a limb, and I was only 19 years old," he said.

He said he found it "physically and mentally hard" to process what had happened, and turned to drugs and alcohol.

"I was drinking every day for about six months and became addicted to cocaine, and that's when I got sectioned in mid-February 2019 for drug-induced psychosis," he added.

Mr Edwards found boxing "an instant stress reliever" after he struggled following the crash

"When I got out of rehab they told me I needed a hobby to keep my mind away from drugs and alcohol, and when I found boxing and punched the bag for the first time, it was an instant stress reliever," he said.

Mr Edwards went on to set up the charity, Boxing for the Brain, to help people who have low self-esteem.

'Different ability not disability'

He said he had always wanted to climb Yr Wyddfa and plans to hike it in under six hours.

"I have an abscess on my leg at the moment so cannot use my prosthetic leg, so I will crutch myself all the way to the summit."

The climb is fundraising for pregnancy and baby loss charity Sands after a family member lost their daughter.

The fundraising aspect "gives you the push to the top", he said.

He added: "I also want to show that I don't have a disability, I have a different ability."

"I just hope people look at me and think, 'If he can do it, I can do it'."