A VISUALLY impaired York man, who is also a wheelchair user, is all set to climb Mount Snowdon in Wales to raise money for a charity that supports him.

Ian Wood, who lives in Acomb, faces daily adversity, being registered blind, using a wheelchair and suffering from mitochondria disease, which leaves him drained of energy on a regular basis.

But, despite this, his proactive approach and independent spirit has led him into a life of adventure and activity from cycling and canoeing to skydiving and wheelchair skiing.

On June 28, Ian is aiming to tackle the challenge of climbing Mount Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales, to raise money for Remap - a charity of retired engineers who make bespoke gadgets and adaptations for disabled and older people.

He is also aiming to raise funding for and awareness of The Lily Foundation - which supports people living with mitochondrial disease.

Ian, 45, said: "The challenge of climbing Snowdon is going to be fairly big for me personally, as because of my condition I only have a small envelope of useful energy each day.

"I'm a member of the York Remap Panel and I am planning to climb Snowdon for them. I have found a group of people that are willing to help me achieve the climb.

"I also want to raise money for Remap and increase awareness of mitochondria disease."

Remap often supports Ian with his wheelchairs, so he said it is important that he gives something back.

The team at the charity aim to make bespoke items for disabled and older people - and these items are usually products that are not available off the shelf.

York Press: Ian Wood during some of his previous fundraising challengesIan Wood during some of his previous fundraising challenges (Image: Supplied)

Over the last few years, Ian has taken part in the Superhero Triathlon series - and he recounts the challenges and opportunities of taking part in triathlons in a memoir he wrote during the Covid lockdowns called 'Living with Mitochondria Against All Odds' - which is available on Amazon.

In the triathlon, all competitors are disabled - and each has at least one helper - who are known as 'sidekicks' during the event.

Last year, Ian also took on a 500-metre swimming challenge during the Aquasphere Epic Lake Swim on Lake Windemere to raise money for The Lily Foundation. The foundation is one of the Mitochondria disease charities.

Ian had a team of five people supporting him - and most of them completed the three legs of the triathlon with him. This consisted of a 400m swim, a 10km bike ride and pushing Ian's wheelchair for 2.5km and running alongside him.

For the cycling part of the triathlon, Ian had an adult version of a tandem bike which he uses once a week with a volunteer from the local blind society.

To support Ian's latest fundraising efforts, visit his donation page on Just Giving.