Double amputee eight-year-old who’s raised nearly £2m for charity climbs fell

An eight-year-old boy who had both of his legs amputated after being abused as a baby by his birth parents has reached the summit of a Lake District fell.

Tony Hudgell from Kings Hill in Kent trekked up the summit of Orrest Head, a fell which overlooks Windermere, raising more than £19,000 for charity and smashing his original £500 target – bringing his total raised for charity to nearly £2 million.

Tony climbed to the top with fellow walkers, veteran mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington and double amputee former Gurkha Hari Budha Magar.

Paula Hudgell, Tony’s adoptive mother, said to see him reach the summit was ‘so incredible’.

She said: “Anybody who knows Tony knows that he is a complete whirlwind. He’s a force to be reckoned with.

“I reckon we could have climbed probably the highest mountain now. I think it might have started something.”

Tony lost both legs after his birth parents inflicted serious injuries upon him. The pair were jailed for 10 years in 2018.

He received Pride of Britain and Points of Light awards for raising more than £1.7m for charity during the pandemic.

His latest feat is in support of the Tony Hudgell Foundation, Crohn’s & Colitis UK, the Bendrigg Trust and The Lake District Foundation.

The brave young boy said his first fundraising walks made him feel like he wanted to go on and climb a mountain. Later, the family met Cumbrian guide Steve Watts who then made Tony’s wish come true.

Mr Watts said they picked Orrest Head for the challenge as it was the first fell climbed by the author Alfred Wainwright.

However, Wainwright had not prompted the same turnout of supporters cheering on the summit as Tony had, he added.

“Talk about endeavour, willpower. For an eight-year-old? Follow that,” Mr Watt said.

“How many more is he going to inspire? It’s not just about the money, it’s the legacy. It’s opening the world to other children and other adults like Tony and Hari.”

Mrs Hudgell described the moment as being ‘so emotional’ when Tony was joined as a surprise by Mr Budha Magar, who became the first double above-the-knee amputee to climb Everest in May.

She said: “Hari is a superhero – the same as Tony – and it just shows that, being differently abled, what you can achieve.

“You can achieve anything if you just put your mind to it.”

Mr Budha Magar lost his legs when he stepped on an improvised explosive device while in Afghanistan back in 2010. He left Tony completely speechless as he surprised him near the summit of Orrest Head before they hugged and finished the climb together.