Seven-year-old with cerebral palsy completes Ben Nevis climb for charity

A seven-year-old boy whose parents were told he would never walk has climbed Britain’s tallest mountain, raising more than £8,000 in the process.

Caeden Thomson, who has cerebral palsy, trekked the 4,411 ft ascent to the top of Ben Nevis in the Highlands on Saturday to raise money for his local NHS trust and disability equality charity Scope.

The boy, from Corby, Northamptonshire, was born 12 weeks premature and has since undergone intense physiotherapy, but told mum Lisa that he wanted to be able to give something back because “he was so lucky for all the things he has had in his life”.

Early in his life, Caeden’s parents were told he would never walk, sit or talk.

Setting out to raise £8,000, a crowdfunding page now puts the total at more than £8,400 as result of the thirteen-hour climb.

“Caeden is an absolute legend,” mother Lisa said.

She added: “It was such a massive challenge and much, much harder than any of us expected.

“There were many hard times along the way – from three-quarters of the way up the pathway is just massive boulders and very hard to climb, and even at the top we didn’t think he would make it down.

“There were danger areas where carrying was very difficult, so Caeden did have to walk down a lot of it too. The temperature dropped hugely and many climbers said they were turning back. But we made it!”

The group set off on the adventure at 9am, returning at 10.30pm after reaching the top at 5.30pm.

Caeden himself said: “My body hurts a lot but I’m OK. It was really, really hard.

“I felt sick and exhausted at the top, and I felt exhausted but happy at the bottom!”

Ms Thomson added: “We are all super-proud of him, he deserves a medal.

“Last night no-one could move or celebrate, so today we are resting up and will celebrate tonight. We all love Caeden so much and can’t believe his passion for getting to the top.”