A man left paralysed in the Manchester Arena bombing has reached the summit of Africa’s highest mountain in his wheelchair as he aims to raise £1m for charity.
Martin Hibbert, 45, launched his mission to scale Mount Kilimanjaro because he wanted to “move mountains” for disabled people.
Mr Hibbert, from Chorley, Lancashire, and his daughter Eve, then aged 14, were six metres away from suicide bomber Salman Abadi when he detonated his device five years ago last month.
Mr Hibbert suffered a severed spinal cord from shrapnel in the bombing which left 22 dead and hundreds injured.
Image: Mr Hibbert and his team during training for the big climb
He reached the top of Mount Kilimanjaro this weekend with the aid of a personal team of helpers and local guides and porters.
They broke into singing and dancing after a gruelling trek to the top of the 5,685m (18,652ft) high snow-capped summit in Tanzania.
Mr Hibbert said: “I could just see the sign at the top. I didn’t know whether to laugh, cry… it was such a relief to get there and know that we had done it. Something I will always remember. Just so proud.
“I said we will all come back as different people and I certainly will do, just the love and that. I’m definitely a different person going home and I think everyone else will be as well.
Image: Mr Hibbert wants to raise £1m. Credit: Cloud Force Marketing/Sam Manton/PA Wire
“You know it doesn’t stop here, we’ve climbed a mountain but we now need to move mountains to get what we need in terms of social care change, changes in accessibility, things like that, so I’m going to need all these people to continue giving me that love and support.”
“That’s why I’m doing this to show, don’t write off somebody because they’re in a wheelchair, look at what they can do when they’ve got the right help and support, they can climb Mount Kilimanjaro.
“Hopefully, doing this has highlighted just how important help and support is.”
At the summit Mr Hibbert spread some of his mother Janice’s ashes. She died in November last year, and he said: “I said she was going to be with me. Love you mum.”
Mr Hibbert has already raised around half of the £1m target of donations to fund the Spinal Injuries Association.
To donate, go to martins-mountain.justgiving-sites.com/.
