Wheelchair-bound man stands for the first time in 23 years

This is the moment a man told he would never walk again steps from his wheelchair for the first time and takes agonizing steps – to raise money for others in need.

Brave Nick Carr, 26, looks wracked with pain and determination as he stands up for the first time in 23 years.

Nick was left wheelchair-bound after he was struck down with encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain, when he was just three years old.

Doctors told him he would never stand or walk again but Nick, of Truro, Cornwall, has now defied the odds.

He climbed out of his chair and still clinging to its arms walked twenty metres in front of an emotional crowd.

Nick spent a year training in a gym to prepare for the effort – which raised money to build a new sports centre for the disabled.

Nick, said: “It was incredibly tough and very painful. I knew there were a lot of people watching me, but I was focused on getting the walk done. It felt amazing to do this for such a worthy cause.”

Nick completed the challenge at Lemon Quay in Truro surrounded by crowds of people cheering him on.

He joined friends Keith Cornick and John Williams as they took part in a 1,000 mile charity tour of the UK from Jon O’Groats in Scotland to Land’s End in Cornwall.

Together the trio raised over £10,000 for the new state-of-the-art Centre of Challenge and Innovation in Truro.

The centre is a proposed £20 million new unit which if built, will house a dive pool, rock climbing wall, sky-diving tunnel and wave rider.

Denise Boaden, part of the Centre for Challenge’s driving force, said: “It was inspirational and very moving. People were cheering Nick on and a few people were crying. It was very emotional.”

For more information about the Centre of Challenge visit www.centreofchallenge.com