Amputee Andy to take on Mount Kilimanjaro

By pkemp

A dad-of-two and international athlete from Lincolnshire who had his leg amputated in 2006 is climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

Andrew Skinner, 39, from Skellingthorpe, had his left leg amputated in 2006 after years of chronic pain after a motorbike accident.

He is doing the climb to raise money for the charity Limb Power.

He said: "I play sitting volleyball for Great Britain and was approached by Kiera Roche from Limb Power and she asked me to do the climb.

"At first I said no because I can't walk up Steep Hill properly but after a while I decided to do it.

"I'm turning 40 next year and this will be something to remember for my fortieth year.

"There are 24 of us going for 10 days from October 14.

"We're doing lots of training and fundraisers before that too.

"At the end of it all though it is getting some recognition for a charity that does a lot of good work for people and improves their quality of life."

For more on the trek, see Thursday's Echo.