Coronavirus: Injured Veteran Completes Three Peaks Challenge At Home

An injured military veteran has completed a lockdown version of the Three Peaks Challenge by climbing his staircase thousands of times.

Ben Wilson took on the challenge to climb the height of the three tallest peaks in England, Scotland and Wales, to raise money for military charities who supported him after he left the RAF with a spinal injury.

Mr Wilson, who also has a terminal lung condition, is classed as a vulnerable person and has been shielding during the pandemic.

He told Forces News: “I just felt I needed to give something back and this was an opportunity to do it while I, really, was very restricted and had not a lot else on.”

After scaling the three peaks, Mr Wilson decided to go further and has now scaled the equivalent of two more mountains.

"I discovered that I was actually moving a bit better, and I was a bit more capable than I thought I would be," he said.

"So I ended up adding another two mountains in Northern Ireland and Wales.”

In total, the former airman has climbed more than 3,700 flights of stairs over the last month. 

Money raised by the challenge is being donated to charities SSAFA and Forces in the Community which helped Mr Wilson manage his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and assisted with the maintenance of his house.

"It’s lovely to have a routine," he said.

"I’ve started having a much better sleep pattern because of it – the PTSD had a massive effect on my sleep.

"But since I started this, I get up at the same time, prep and breakfast, clean the stairs – there’s a lot more vacuuming on this mountain than most! And then it’s 11 o’clock [and] I start my first session.

“I can only manage about half-an-hour at the moment before I get very out of breath.

"So then I have a gap and I start walking again at one, then three, then five, so I do four, half-an-hour sessions a day.”

The veteran is now planning another challenge that could see him spending most of the year climbing his stairs. 

To keep up to date with Ben's challenge, you can head to his Facebook page.