Leeds heart attack climber scales peak with rescuer

Trevor Botwood said reaching the summit on his second attempt was "brilliant"

A man who had a heart attack while climbing Ben Nevis has reached its peak on his second attempt, alongside the woman who saved him.

Trevor Botwood from Leeds completed the 4,412ft (1,345m) climb with Courtney Ferguson, a physiotherapist who gave him CPR when he collapsed in 2020.

Ms Ferguson was on her way down when she found Mr Botwood who had suffered a heart attack halfway up.

The pair climbed the mountain together on 6 August, joined by a dozen friends.

"I was always going back up there and I want to say thank you to the hospitals and the mountain rescue," Mr Botwood said.

Mr Botwood's wife said hospital staff had encouraged Mr Botwood to get fit and attempt the climb again

Mr Botwood had been walking up the mountain in Scotland with his sister Irene, who gave up and left her brother to carry on alone, shortly before he had a heart attack.

"There was no indication, no warning or anything," he said.

His wife, Philomena, said Ms Ferguson, who was on her way down from the summit, had administered CPR until emergency services arrived and helicoptered him to hospital.

"If it hadn't have been for her who knows what might have happened," Mr Botwood said.

A group of 12 family members and friends joined Mr Botwood and Courtney Ferguson on their climb

He spent 10 days in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow before being sent to Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) where he had stents fitted.

Mrs Botwood said: "Staff at LGI said to him 'you know what Trevor, if you get fit you could get back up that mountain' and that's been his ambition."

Trevor Botwood had first attempted to climb Ben Nevis in 2020 but suffered a heart attack halfway up

Mr Botwood said: "It was brilliant being back on the mountain, it was great, and all the people who did it on the day, I'm so proud of them.

"But when we got to the top we couldn't see a thing anyway - and it was cold."