A brave young quad amputee has climbed to the top of a 2,280ft (694 m) mountain to help raise money for others with missing limbs.<br /><br />Luke Mortimer, 11, felt “proud” to have summited Pen-y-ghent - one of The Yorkshire Three Peaks - after he completed his “monumental” ascent on Saturday (June 29).<br /><br />He reached the top ahead of his dad, Adam Mortimer, 50, who was aiming to climb six of Britain’s highest mountains with 18 other hikers in just 48 hours for charity.<br /><br />Speaking about his achievement, which took roughly three hours, Luke said he was “relieved” to conquer the pinnacle.<br /><br />He said: “I feel so proud. It’s a really tough climb, so I’m relieved I’ve done it. But as my mum says, ‘We never back down from a challenge.'”<br /><br />Luke, who previously climbed Embsay Crag, next to his home in North Yorks., inspired his dad’s fundraising idea to climb half a dozen peaks with a team in just two days.<br /><br />This attempt began at Ben Nevis, in Scotland, on Friday, before they headed to Scafell Pike in the Lake District and then on to The Yorkshire Three Peaks on Saturday.<br /><br />They completed their epic mission yesterday (Sun) when they climbed to the top of Snowdown, also known as Yr Wyddfa.<br /><br />But during the planning stage, Luke asked to help raise money for AMP Camp Kids, a fitness retreat for amputee children in Tenerife, by climbing a mountain of his own.<br /><br />He undertook several practice walks with his shortened prosthetics - known as ‘stubbies’ - before hitting the top of Pen-y-ghent at 1pm on Saturday.<br /><br />Adam said about his son's accomplishment: “We’re massively proud of Luke to decide that he was going to walk it.<br /><br />“Luke inspired us by the walk he did before, and he then said he would love to meet us on a peak. <br /><br />“And when we told the other, ‘Luke’s going to meet us on top of Pen-y-ghent’, they were like ‘Wow, this changes everything’.<br /><br />"To be up there with Luke, who is a quad amputee, it’s a huge achievement for him. It was really great to see him up there."<br /><br />Luke's mum, Christine Mortimer, 44, said she was thrilled that he had mastered the tricky climb with her and a group of other amputees.<br /><br />She added: “It’s the biggest thing that he’s ever attempted. So to get to the top is a massive achievement for him.<br /><br />“We did plenty of practice walks, but the terrain underfoot is difficult in places... So it’s a monumental challenge, but he was absolutely up for it.<br /><br />“He’s got half the leg length, so it’s essentially like walking on your knees - that’s his stride length. He has to do twice as many just to keep up with someone of his age.<br /><br />“I’m massively proud of him and his dad. We’re relieved that we made it to the top.”<br /><br />Luke, previously a keen rugby player for Skipton RFC in North Yorks., was struck down with meningococcal meningitis on December 13, 2019.<br /><br />And he was transferred to Sheffield Children’s Hospital, where doctors found life-threatening septicaemia, also known as blood poisoning, had developed in his body.
