Beyond Boundaries Live is an exhibition that was created on the back of the hugely successful BBC TV show about expeditions led by ex SAS major Ken Hames (Ben Nevis) and a team of disabled people breaking their own boundaries.  The show covers these individuals as they go on expeditions across some of the hardest and inhospitable terrain in the world.  The latest 3^rd series follows Ken and a team of disabled teenagers crossing Ecuador and the treacherous Andes in just four weeks. With a healthy dose of teamwork and abilities they didn't know they had the team made it all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

The Live exhibition was held at the Kent County Show ground and offered a wide choice of products, services and activities to the disabled community. This included various sports, the arts, cooking, holidays, work and recruitment, mobility with test drives, hand cycling, rock climbing and lots more. Plus they hosted inspirational talks from celebrities and personalities who have overcome their disability in order to achieve amazing feats of endeavour. If you missed this year keep your eye out for details on next years event as it's a show no person with a disability should miss out on EVER!!

Pete and I had registered to go a few months back as we had been to the show last year and were impressed by the event as a whole.  A week or so before the event I got a call from Ken asking if we (The Wheel Life) would like to get involved with helping him run the obstacle course that he had just been asked to do for the event.  Pete and I thought this was a great idea and jumped on board.  Friday morning we arrived at the show ground and met up with Ken and the team from the last Beyond Boundaries TV show.  Julie, Libby, Liam, Jeremy, Sean, Holly, Azura and Olivia had come from all corners of the country to help out and be part of the event.

The obstacle course was set up in the trees on the other side of the car park away from the main event which was a frustration to Ken and everyone but we all made the best we could of it.  The idea of the course was to get the person in a four wheeled all terrain chair around the course in the quickest time possible.  The course consisted of chicanes, sharp corners and hay bales that you had to get the chair over.  We managed to persuade lots of people throughout the two days to come and have a go and everyone without fail had a great time and some kept coming back time and again trying to beat their original time.  Next year with a bit more notice Ken with treat us to a course that's even more challenging I am sure.

When we weren't running the obstacle course it was a great opportunity to go round the exhibits and meet and talk to people and get a real insight into what was new and available on the market.  Listening to the seminars by Dame Tanni Grey Thompson, Ade Adepitan, Kerry McGregor, our Ken Hames and more was very inspirational and really gave you the motivation to find out what more you could be doing with your life.  I met some really great people, including Dame Tanni, Ade and Kerry and hope to persuade them at some point to join The Wheel Life community as well.  Just chatting to people and seeing lots of other wheelchair users all in one place gave you a real feeling that we are moving forward and making a difference ( all be it too slowly)

The two day event was a huge success and I am sure made a positive difference to the hundreds of people that came through the doors.  We just need it to be thousands next time!

I was approached by the British Disabled Flying Association (BDFA) shortly after my Ben Nevis trip to see if I would like to get involved in a world record attempt to pull a jumbo jet along a runway with only wheelchair users at the ropes.  What a fun idea I thought and something else to focus on after my exploits in Scotland.  The British Disabled Flying Association is a charity set up to give disabled people the opportunity to experience flying in a light aircraft and potentially learn how to fly themselves. To learn more check out their website at www.bdfa.net.

DHL have kindly helped out by providing a Boeing 757 weighing in at over 60 tonnes for the event and the idea is to get the plane moving down the runway for a total of 100 metres using only the power of us wheelchair users.  Talking with the organisers before meeting up they felt that we would probably need in the region of thirty people to make it move and there was no guarantee that that number would be enough!!  On the Saturday morning we all gathered in the cafeteria at Lasham airfield which is near Alton in Hampshire for a bacon butty and cup of tea before commencing the training.  A brief talk was given by Martin Bethell the organiser on what we were about to undertake and then we were off to the runway.  We took our cars over to the plane as we didn't want to tire ourselves out before we even picked up a rope!"

When we got to the plane we were organised into groups of three and then shown to our positions.  Three very long ropes had been attached to the plane and in turn attached to our chairs.  Most of the chairs had the ropes simply fed through foot wells and then clipped to the frame underneath so that we didn't actually have to pull the rope with our hands.  Training was not necessarily about getting the plane moving but more about testing the equipment and making sure all the harnesses worked with the chairs.  Once Martin and the team felt happy everything was in place and secured properly we decided it was time to have a go at getting that 60 tonnes moving.

On a countdown of 3 2 1 we all grabbed out wheels and took up the strain. For about 10 - 15 seconds of everyone pushing their chairs with all their might and using every muscle in their shoulders and arms we felt a slight slackening of the ropes as the plane crept forward a couple of inches.  With everyone bent forward, puffing, and going red in the face the plane kept creeping along inch by inch until the whistle blew.

Check out the BBC local news that covered the training day;

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7493906.stm

We did it! Maybe not 100 metres but we proved it could be done and done by DISABLED people in wheelchairs.  We had managed to pull a jumbo jet with 20 of us using just our chairs and the strength we all still had.  What a great feeling and a knowledge that on the 6^th September we were really in with a chance of creating a new World Record.  Back to the café now for a well deserved cup of tea.

Bring on the 6^th....

Motorsport Endeavour in collaboration with Kumar Moorthy have been organising Karting for disabled drivers for a few years now and I decided to get involved and have a go.  The track that they use is in Cosely near Dudley in the West Midlands and they have converted 8 karts to be used with hand controls.  http://www.cannonraceway.co.uk/

My morning started with the drive up to Dudley which didn't seem too long as I was excited to try out this new adventure.  I hadn't been karting in years, long before my accident and I was full of anticipation for what lay ahead.  I arrived at the track just before 12 o'clock for the briefing before racing commenced.  Eight of us would be racing and we all had varying degrees of disability but seven of us would be getting in the karts from a wheelchair. 

After the marshalls gave the safety briefing and explained the rules we changed into our racing overalls and were helped into the karts.  This was something I was concerned about before the day as I wondered whether I would have to try and get in the kart on my own.  The reality was that the stewards and marshalls were on hand to help in any way needed.  For most of us this simply meant lifting us out of our chairs and into the karts, it was all done quickly and with the least amount of fuss.

Then it was time to get going!!  The track was inside a huge warehouse converted for racing and comprised of sharp hairpin bends, sweeping corners and a bridge that had to be taken at full throttle.  We all hurtled out of pit lane and had a few practise laps to begin with to get used to the course before the timed trials began.  Very quickly I realised that I was not going to be one of the quickest drivers as a few of the guys had been before and knew the track like the back of their hand.  I also had a problem with my balance as my level of injury is quite high.  As a paraplegic T5 I have no muscle strength below my chest and found it a bit difficult going round corners.  That said it was a fantastic thrill screaming round the track and trying to compete with the other racers out on the circuit. The feeling of adrenalin pumping round your body as you fly over the bridge and quickly brake into the next corner is something I have rarely felt in the years since my accident so it was brilliant to experience it again.

Our session lasted for four hours and in that time we had four races, the quarters, semi's and then the final.  I came nowhere near the final but I wasn't bothered as it was just about being out there again and the feeling of doing something most able bodied people take for granted.  Tommy won the day which no one seemed surprised about as he was miles quicker than all of us.

All in all a brilliant day and I look forward to next time.  Talking with Kumar at the end, they are going to try and find a way of giving me a better harness to secure me into the chair so that I don't move around so much.  This will make cornering much easier and who knows, maybe next time I will be challenging Tommy for the trophy....

Drove up to Hyde Park and arrived at about 2pm in plenty of time to see all the bands.  Parking was really easy as there was a big sign saying "disabled parking this way" and it was free which was even better.  I had been told beforehand that we would need to get a bus from the car park to the venue as it was quite a way and I had my reservations on how easy this would be?  Well I shouldn't have worried as while I was getting out the car a nice man came over and asked if I was going to the concert, when I said yes he replied that he would bring the bus right over and help me in.  The bus by the way is more of an extended golf cart with ramp but way suitable for the trip that we needed to make.  All loaded on and within five minutes we were at the disabled entrance to the park venue, couldn't have been easier and again the bus was free but I did give him a tip.

Once inside the venue we spotted several disabled toilets and plenty of security/ staff to assist if help was required.  Hyde Park is also fairly flat so it's easy to get around but as usual I always bring my trusty trike to make moving around so much easier.  Fist things first we had to make contact with our other friends who were also coming so we started phoning, although the big problem is with so much loud music coming from the speakers no one can hear their phones ringing!!  So after a few false starts we managed to make contact and met up in the centre of the arena.  It was such a beautiful day that we all sat down on rugs and enjoyed the sunshine.  Normally I don't bother getting out of my chair but as we would be here for quite a few hours I dropped down on the ground to join my friends at the same level.  I also new that there were a couple of strong lads in the group to help lift me back in the chair when it was time to be off!  A couple of guys then went off to the bar and came back with bottles of beer, a jug of Pimms and a jug of something called Moscow Mule?!! Which no one really new what it was but it was alcoholic, tasted good so HAPPY DAYS!!

There were two stages at the gig, the main stage and a slightly smaller one which had more indie bands on I thought at first, but then suddenly it was announced that The Stranglers were playing the second stage and we all wanted to see them.  So quick sharpish I was bundled back into my chair, trike attached and we were off racing across the arena the other stage.  When we got there it was packed solid and it looked like we wouldn't get anywhere near even the entrance, but you know there are sometimes bonuses to be a crip!  We just sidled up to a security guard and said we needed to get to the disabled platform, quick as a flash he made everyone get out of the way and the next minute we were sitting up on the platform with the perfect view of the stage, happy days again!!

Later on for the main event Faye and I had decided that we would go and watch the show on the disabled platform at the main stage as it was next to the disabled exit and make for a quick getaway at the end.  However we changed our minds and just watched it from the ground with the rest of our friends and it looked like others had chosen to do the same as I saw quite a few wheelchair users dotted around happy soaking the atmosphere up away from the disabled platform.  The show was absolutely awesome and I enjoyed every single second of it.  Sting was brilliant and everyone in the audience was singing their hearts out to songs first released nearly thirty years ago!!

The end came far too quickly but when it did we made our way to the exit which was so easy as most people were leaving via the main exit so we were out within 2 minutes.  One minor problem was that due to health and safety rules the buses were not allowed to move for half an hour until the park was clear of pedestrians, which seemed like madness as most people had left and gone in the other direction.  Faye and I decided that it would be quicker to walk/ use the trike as it had only taken five minutes on the bus and they were only electric carts so not particularly fast.  We were right as fifteen minutes later we were at the car. Getting out of Hyde Park was also a synch as most traffic had gone the other way so literally an hour and ten minuets after the band stepped off stage I was dropping Faye off and heading round the corner to my house.

HAPPY HAPPY DAYS!!!!!

The adventure started with an 8 hour drive up to Ben Nevis, Pete and I left at 11am and managed to make good time and arrived early evening at the Moorings Hotel at the foot of the mountain.  We checked in to the wheelchair accessible room and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it had a great roll in shower and plenty of room to move about.  We then hooked up with Pete and Rob from our team and had dinner.    We had a couple of drinks then straight to bed for a 5am start.

The alarm sounded at 5am and we jumped (rolled) out of bed excited by the challenge ahead.  The climb started at 6am at the bottom of the mountain and my team of Cat, Caroline, Louise, Rob and Pete with Pete from The Wheel Life filming the event got together to go through final preparations. Each team were given a staggered start and we set off at 6.25am.  The first thing that I think all the teams found was that we had under estimated the level of terrain we were going to be climbing!  The training expeditions had taught us how to get over the largest of obstacles but I don't think anyone was prepared for the distance we had to travel.  Ben Nevis is a 4 ½ km climb to the summit and there are very few areas that you could take a rest at.  You will see by the pictures what I mean. 

We had a guide and medic for the challenge, Mark who was there to keep an eye on us and help us take the right route up the mountain.  Mark was very good at motivating us although whenever we asked how far we had to go on a particular section his reply would be "Just around the next corner" which it never was!!  I think though if he had been honest about how far we had to go we would never have made it.

For me sitting in the chair for the ascent was much easier than on my team mates as although I was pushing as much as I could, most of the time I was required to steer a path through the rough terrain.    It was always very important to try and keep a steady rhythm going so that we didn't wear ourselves out early on.  When we had got about half way up Rob was beginning to struggle and it was only then that I found out he had been off work for the last few days with a virus.  Mark checked him out and it was decided that he shouldn't really continue with the climb.  Considering that Rob had been off sick for most of the week it was an amazing feet that he had even managed to make it to the mountain at all.  At this point Pete had to put the camera down and do some real work!  Our next catastrophe came only a few hundred yards later when my chair got a puncture; this potentially was the end of our challenge.  I had brought with me a tyre weld product that would fill the tyre with foam in the event of a puncture but the tear in the inner tube was so big that the foam just escaped.  At this point we were all very down hearted and felt for sure that it was over.  We only had a small window of time to make the summit and that window was increasingly getting smaller with each moment that passed.  Mark radioed down to camp to inform them of the situation and amazingly the message back on the radio was that they had a spare wheel at one of the stations below and they would send it up.  Twenty minutes later a very hot and exhausted runner appeared with a new wheel for the chair. 

Depressingly though, Mark now told us that we were unlikely to make the summit and we had to decide whether to carry on or not.  The decision was quickly made that even if we didn't quite make the top we had to keep going.  From then on it was heads down and full steam ahead.  I was in awe of my team at this point as they showed huge grit and determination and really put in 110% effort to get us all as far up the mountain as possible.  With what seamed like an impossible task the team doggedly pushed on and Mark kept in touch with the organisers to report our progress.  We had done so well in pushing forward that we could almost taste the summit and we weren't going to give up now.  With shoulders aching and leg muscles burning we climbed on until we got the message everyone was dying to hear;  we had climbed so well in the last couple of hours that we would be able to make the top and savour the feeling of being the highest people in Britain!!

Another final push and we would be there; we still couldn't see the summit at this point but with Mark shouting that it was "Just round the next corner" we painfully pushed on.  As we came over the crest of the summit 8 hours in to the climb and we could see all the other climbers, who broke out into spontaneous applause and cheering as we crawled the last few steps.  With all the cheering and clapping it made it a very emotional moment and I think we all had a tear in our eyes.  We had made it to the highest point in Britain and the feeling was amazing and euphoric.  What an achievement and what a team! Six out of the eight teams made it to the top and as we had come so close to not making it, you had to stop and feel for the guys that didn't.  Feeling like being on top of the world we all managed to forget our aches and pains and enjoy the moment, however brief it would be.  I was even given a beer by Dave, one of the other wheelchair team leaders which totally cemented the feeling of achievement.  What an amazing feeling to sit on top of the mountain, with snow all around, your team mates with you and a beer in hand; PERFECTION!!!

We had 15 minutes or so to phone loved ones, take a few photos, have a bite to eat and then we had to get on our way back down.   We had concentrated all our efforts on getting to the top but now getting down was a whole new challenge and at that point the whole team were already exhausted.  For me the journey down would be much harder than the one up.  For starters I was now facing down the mountain and the only thing stopping me falling out of the chair on occasion was the handle bars in front of me which I gripped for dear life.  We also had to make good pace, as we had been allowed to reach the top over and above the time restriction this meant we had to race to get down before it went dark.  This meant I had to hold on as we bounced the chair off rocks and boulders in an attempt to get down as quickly as possible.  About 2 hours in to the descent I started to get pains in my wrists and hands as I gripped the handle bars so tightly, by the time we got to the bottom I was in agony and my hands had swollen up but at least I was feeling some of the pain that my team mates had gone through.

When we did finally make it to the bottom 13 hours into the climb we were greeted by another huge round of applause and a photographer ready to take our picture with our challenge medals.  Now it was time for beer!! 

We made it back to the hotel for a quick shower and off to the evening's party.  Capability Scotland and Scope had laid on a great buffet and entertainment to finish the weekend off but for most of us we were too shattered to really enjoy ourselves.  By this point I was also feeling like I had been on a boat all day and had a bad dose of sea legs (or mountain wheelchair legs).  As I had spent 13 hours being tossed and bumped around the mountain my brain was still telling me I was on the mountain and I could feel myself swaying back and forth.  I managed to make it until 12 o'clock but by then I just needed my bed.

Climbing out of bed Sunday morning was not a joyous occasion but I did laugh when I saw that Pete wasn't much better at walking than me!