Trio complete an incredible journey

Ben Jaycock talks to Ed Jackson, the former Wasps forward who took up mountaineering after hurting his back

- Ben Jaycock

HAVING been forced into retirement from rugby at just 28 due to a swimming pool accident, Ed Jackson has since turned his attention to mountaineering and was recently part of the first ever all-disabled team to cross Western Europe’s largest ice cap.

Jackson, 34, was left with a weakness/paralysis down one side of his body after dislocating his C6/C7 vertebrae due to jumping in the shallow end of a swimming pool in 2017 and is now a keynote speaker and broadcaster alongside his charity work with Millimetres 2 Mountains (M2M).

Since taking up mountaineering, Jackson has reached the summit of Snowdon, Wales’ largest mountain, Mount Buet in the Alps and has now conquered Iceland’s Vatnajökull.

Jackson was joined by Darren Edwards and Dr Niall McCann as they set off on an unsupported 136-kilometre traverse last month.

The trio were raising money for M2M, the UK-based charity created by Jackson and his wife Lois that’s dedicated to creating positive change for people recovering from physical or psychological trauma and together have raised over £200,000.