Story

After completing my Psychology Degree at Hull in 1993, I had plans for a career in the army and playing rugby union. Since the age of seven all he had wanted to do was be a military pilot and play rugby for my country. An horrific car accident at the age of 22 changed my entire life, though, resulting in suffering severe injuries to my legs, body and skull resulting in me losing my left leg below the knee, having my right ankle pinned and my face and skull rebuilt . I still suffer daily with pain from the injuries but I don’t allow that to stop me living a full life. Obviously my dreams of joining the army and playing rugby professionally were over, but I changed my career path and have since had a career in private banking & investment management. I have worked in global firms in Yorkshire and London including Deloittes, Ansbacher & Co, Sanlam and I moved back to Yorkshire where I am currently ‘Head of the Northern Region’ at Brooks Macdonald. I have not allowed my disability and constant pain to stop me participating in the world of sport, pushing the boundaries of what is achievable and constantly testing myself . I was the first disabled person in the world to swim an ‘Ice Mile’ (a one mile swim, in water below 5c in just a standard swimming costume a standard swimming costume) where my swim was classified an ‘Extreme Ice Mile” due to the distance he swam and time I spent in the water. In 2019 I was part of the Great Britain team at the Ice Swimming World Championships in Murmansk, Russia. I also sit on the global board of the International Ice Swimming Association responsible for developing and administrating the sport and they are hoping for Ice Swimming to be a Winter Olympic Sport in the next few years.) Outside of Ice swimming, I have undertaken speed marches with the Royal Marines, done multiple week long cycle rides to raise money for charity and recently swum in English Channel as part of a four person relay. In the summer of 2021 I was the only amputee at the Leeds Olympic Distance triathlon in Leeds which I successfully completed. I am now currently training for the 115 Mile Ultra race on skis in the Artic; and then will be in training to be part of the first disabled relay team to swim the North Channel (Ireland to Scotland) in June. Finally in September I am attempting to complete an Ironman race in Italy to hopefully become the world’s first disabled ‘Iron Ice Man’