Malmesbury soldier Captain Francis Atkinson has set off on an expedition of a lifetime as he aims to climb Mount Everest.

For any normal person that would be a huge challenge in itself, but for Cpt FAtkinson, who was injured while serving in Afghanistan, it is even more of a mission.

Cpt Atkinson, who has limited use of his right hand after being shot in Afghanistan, flew out to base camp yesterday as he teamed up with the charity Walking With The Wounded.

Before he left he said: “I come from a very military background, so it was natural for me to join the army from a very early age.

“On the day I was injured my company, they went in to do an operation in an unfriendly part of the surrounding area. “We ended up getting ambushed, I was actually at the back of the patrol and I ended up getting a round that went straight through my upper arm. “It managed to sever a nerve that controls my hand so as a result now my hand is not fully functional.

“I have seen what they have done with the north pole expedition and that looked fantastic. “After being told by my doctor it would be up to a year recovery time before I could use my hand and therefore continue to be a doctor I was determined to go and do something that would keep myself busy or give myself some kind of goal.

"I don’t think the opportunity to climb the tallest mountain in the world was something I could say no to.”

Track Cpt Atkinson’s progress by clicking the link below.