Double amputee Paul Ellis crawls Ben Nevis for children's holiday camp

Double amputees Debbie McQuat and Paul Ellis (front left and front right) made it to Ben Nevis summit along with Dan Hartshorn who has an amputated left hand

A double amputee has crawled up the UK's highest mountain to raise money for children who have lost limbs.

Paul Ellis, from Widnes in Cheshire, battled through snow to reach the 1,345m (4,413ft) summit of Ben Nevis.

The climb, which took place over the Easter weekend, raised £19,000 to fund family holidays - known as Kids Amp Camps - for child amputees.

The retreat in Tenerife was set up by Ben Lovell, from Bradford, to focus on wellbeing and fitness for amputees.

Paul Ellis reached the summit of Ben Nevis after 12 hours of crawling over rocky terrain, water and snow

Mr Lovell, 42, has a fully-blocked femoral artery and can only stand for 10 minutes before needing to rest. He said money raised by the Ben Nevis climb would allow at least four more camps later this year.

He said six children and their families went on the first fully-funded Kids Amp Camp, which included a chef and luxury villa, in February.

"When kids are amputees it has a knock-on effect for their whole family," Mr Lovell said.

"Amp Camp just puts these children around other children who look and feel the same and their families can relax too."

Mr Lovell, who has two children, said he struggled after losing his leg in 2017, and now wants to "give something back"

Mr Lovell said he stopped at the base camp at the foot of Ben Nevis, while others in the party - including Mr Ellis - continued.

The 56-year-old had already crawled up Snowdon in over 13 hours in August to raise money for the same cause.

Amp Camp worker Keir Nicholson said: "Even the able-bodied people hit a wall on the way up Ben Nevis and wanted to give up."

Ben Lovell (left), Keir Nicholson and Paul Ellis (right) were among 30 people who attempted Ben Nevis over Easter weekend

He said the 12-hour crawl was "an epic and monumental effort".

"We couldn't have been prouder of Paul's morning's work," he said. "We'd smiled, laughed, sung and danced our way to base camp."

He said after five hours crawling over brutal terrain, Mr Ellis and the other climbers started the second stage of the journey.

"Paul rolled up his shorts and crawled through the waterfall around the first looming bend of Ben Nevis and into the imposing zigzags," he said.

The weather became cold, damp and misty in the afternoon and 12 hours after starting, at 18:30, Mr Ellis crawled through snow to the summit where the team had "breathtaking" views.

They arrived back at base camp after dark at 22:00.

Mr Lovell and friends have completed several charity challenges, including Helvellyn, Scafell Pike, Yorkshire's Three Peaks, 10 laps of Ogden Water in Halifax, and jumping out of a plane in Devon.

23-year-old Bailey Lindsay took part in several of the fundraising walks but died earlier this year of cancer

The Ben Nevis climb was also in memory of fundraiser Bailey Lindsay, who died of cancer aged 23 and had taken part in several Amp Camps and fundraising walks.

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