A MAN who was paralysed in the Manchester Arena bombing has been branded a hero by TV presenter Ben Fogle as he gears up to climb Mount Kilimanjaro for charity.

Martin Hibbert, who used to live in Wibsey, was paralysed from the waist down when he and his teenage daughter were among the hundreds injured in the terror attack on May 22, 2017.

He is now planning to take a Paralympic torch from the London Games to the top of Africa’s highest mountain in September and hopes to raise £1 million for the Spinal Injuries Association.

Mr Hibbert will use a custom-built handbike for the seven to 10-day challenge, which he said he was inspired to do after learning only one in three people with spinal cord injuries receive treatment at specialist centres.

Speaking on Good Morning Britain today, Mr Hibbert said: “All my friends have said I don’t do any hiking and walking, so what do I do? I want to scale one of the world’s highest mountains.

“To start the revolution that we need to do to get people talking about disability and not being supported enough by the British government, that’s why we’re doing it.

“We had to do something that even able-bodied people struggle to do. We know it’s a massive feat, but we’re going to do it."

He was offered tips to complete the Kilimanjaro climb by Mr Fogle, who called him his hero. He said: “It’s all about the mind.

“You have to have absolute confidence in yourself. There is a really powerful reason for you for doing this.”

He will be joined on the climb by Rob Grew, who ran into the Manchester Arena immediately after the explosion to offer help to the severely injured casualties, and Stuart Wildman, the head nurse at the Major Trauma Centre at Salford Royal who treated Mr Hibbert when he was admitted after his injury.

Since his recovery, Mr Hibbert has worked with the Spinal Injuries Association as a trustee to offer hope, confidence and practical skills to other people paralysed by spinal cord injury.

Go to justgiving.com/campaign/martinsmountain to make a donation.