Bilateral amputee completes walking challenge for Diabetes UK

A bilateral amputee has completed a huge personal challenge to walk long distance on his prosthetic legs.

Mr Andy Ashworth, from Southwell, completed a tough challenge on Bank Holiday Monday where he walked the boundary of Southwell Cricket Club’s pitch on his two prosthetic legs to raise money for five charities close to his heart.

He lost his left leg below the knee in May 2016, and the right above the knee in March last year. after suffering from complications with diabetes and decided to take on the tough challenge to raise money for for Diabetes UK, Nottinghamshire University Hospitals’ Haywood House in memory of a close friend, King’s Mill Hospital’s physiotherapy department, Nottingham Prosthetics Centre, and Southwell Cricket Club to help pay for its electronic scoreboard.

Mr Ashworth said that the feeling as he finished the walk, cheered on by over 100 people, was phenomenal:

"It was quite an ambitious task as the furthest I'd walked on my new legs was about 60 metres, and this was about 350 metres so I knew I'd have to have a few rests and it was so hot on that day.

"But there were so many people there and I was shaking like a leaf when I finished, Simply The Best was playing and my family were there with a bottle of beer - a beer had never tasted so sweet.

"I'm not normally one who takes plaudits but this was the biggest achievement I've ever had, I'm still buzzing now."

So far, Mr Ashworth has raised an incredible £5,000 for his five charities, and is considering a new challenge where he walks unaided on his prosthetic legs in the future.

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