A one-legged daredevil has joined the circus four years after he lost his limb in an industrial accident - as a tightrope walker.<br /><br />Brave Nathan Bland, 24, who has a prosthetic left leg and no toes on his right foot, pulled off the death-defying act atop the 65ft (20m) cable on Wednesday (June 28).<br /><br />He had no plans to take part in the terrifying routine until he visited a touring Circus, in Halifax, West Yorks., and was asked to perform by a staff.<br /><br />Nathan wasn’t able to “feel” the half-an-inch wide cable with his prosthetic leg, and the team at Circus Extreme feared he would struggle with his balance.<br /><br />But after a few days of training, he made his “epic” debut on the 40ft long wire in front of hundreds, where he performed with a clown over the course of 20 minutes.<br /><br />Nathan, who lost his leg after it was badly mangled in a machine at a recycling plant, called the stunt a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”<br /><br />The high wire performer said: “It was epic. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It was absolutely amazing.<br /><br />“I had lots and lots of adrenaline, and I was trying not to be scared of the height. If you get up there and you are scared, then it’s very hard to come down.<br /><br />“The team thought I would struggle to balance without any toes on my other foot. But when I did it, they couldn’t believe it.<br /><br />“Before the accident, I was very sporty, and I used to teach kids archery and running during activity days. I had a very active life.<br /><br />“I have a prosthetic leg due to a work accident, but that doesn't bother me I still do everything.”<br /><br />Nathan, from Halifax, sadly lost his leg on November 26, 2019, while working in a recycling plant near his home, when he was asked to unclog a bailing machine.<br /><br />He jumped on the machine to try and dislodge the material before it suddenly whirred into action and took his leg “clean off” along with the toes on his right foot.<br /><br />He said: “I thought the machine was set to manual but it was actually set to automatic, and it took my leg clean off. <br /><br />“The adrenaline kicked in and I didn’t know what was happening. I just felt like I was in another world, and I was rushed to hospital.<br /><br />“The surgeons tried to re-attach it during an operation, but after four hours, the blood flow was stopping and starting, and they had to re-amputate it.<br /><br />“It was very strange when I woke up, not knowing that I had only got one leg. It all happened quite fast.”<br /><br />Nathan stayed in the hospital for just under a month before he was released and fitted with a prosthetic in February 2020.<br /><br />Last Saturday (June 24), he decided by chance to watch a performance by the touring group Circus Extreme with his nephew, in Halifax.<br /><br />He was later invited to the VIP area before the staff asked if he would like to take part in the high wire act.<br /><br />Nathan said: “When I was talking to one of the clowns, he said ‘Would you like to do the high wire’ and I said, ‘I’m up for anything.’”
