A CWMBRAN man who used his bare hands to climb up Pen y Fan after his wheelchair broke has set his sights on his next gruelling challenge.

Jamie McAnsh was climbing up the highest peak in south Wales, and was more than 19k through the trek, when his wheel buckled around 100 feet short of the summit.

But with the support of his team, who were taking part in the WAAT4 challenge of a 30km trek through the Brecon Beacons, he managed to reach the top.

Although he didn’t manage to complete the full charity challenge, Mr McAnush believes he is the first person to complete Pen y Fan in a wheelchair.

“I had a fantastic team around me who persevered as much as we could,” he said.

“It was a really good feeling to get up there and hit the summit of Pen y Fan.

“I thought I was going to drop dead but I had reached the summit.

“It was a pretty special moment.”

Coed Eva resident Mr McAnsh, aged 34, suffers from a neurological condition that, though presently undiagnosed, has caused him to lose mobility in his lower limbs. He has been using a wheelchair since January last year.

The WAAT4 (or Working As A Team For...) challenge was part of Challenge 2015 which Mr McAnsh started to mark the one-year anniversary of being in his wheelchair. It sees him setting a task for himself to complete every month.

“Last year was all about finding myself and adapting my life,” he said.

“I took up wheelchair rugby and played for Wales, and then wheelchair basketball for Cardiff Celts.

“I thought if I can do that in a short time what can I do if I really think about it?

“The aim is to try and inspire people to get out of their wheelchairs and into sports and activities, and anything else that doesn’t involve being confined as a disabled person.”

As part of his challenge he has already completed a hand cycle marathon in memory of his friend Natasha Scott-Falber, who died of toxic shock syndrome; ‘gravity riding’ which included downhill wheelchair racing with Roughriderz; and hand cycling the Carten 100 ride from Cardiff to Tenby.

Later in the year he is also planning on surfing in Cornwall, ziplining and getting on an aeroplane for the first time in a wheelchair.

“I’m terrified of heights so I thought I may as well tackle a zipline and conquer my fears,” he said.

He has also set up a website and facebook page tracking his progress, and can be followed at seenobounds.co.uk/index.html and ‘See No Bounds’ on Facebook.