A PARAMEDIC who was seriously injured in a fatal ambulance crash will undertake a major charity challenge next month.

Richard Riley was caring for patient Francis Ironside in the back of the ambulance when the crash took place on the A337 Brockenhurst to Lymington road in 2013.

Paramedic Gillian Randall, 42, and 88-year-old Mr Ironside were killed in the collision after the ambulance veered off the road and into a tree.

Mr Riley, who lives in Bransgore, suffered a broken neck, broken back, broken arm, punctured lung, broken ribs, broken shoulder and damaged spleen as a result of the incident.

But, in February, he will attempt to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise more than £4,000 for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, who he credits with saving his life.

Over the past few months Richard has climbed Mount Snowdon a number of times, including three times in one weekend and a night summit.

He also climbed Tryfan, another challenging mountain in Snowdonia twice, and has been hiking in the Brecon Beacons as well as night walking in the Purbeck hills in preparation.

Richard, who is married with a young child, hopes to reach the summit on February 13.

He said: “The training has been very tough at times and I've tried to push myself, to see what my limits are.

“My main challenge is that I still get a lot of back and neck pain so my biggest hurdle to overcome will be dealing with the pain, which I am learning to live with.”

Jackie Russell, deputy co-ordinator at Bransgore Community Responders, who are helping with his publicity, said: “Rich faces enormous personal challenges, firstly to get himself as fit as he can, and then to climb the mountain. Yet he is focused on doing this for the benefit of others who, one day, may need the Air Ambulance in the same way he did. We hope as many people as possible will support him."

Go to uk.virginmoneygiving.com/richardriley80