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

Dr 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, Dr Atkinson, who lived in Malmesbury until he was 19 and whose family now live in Crudwell, said: “On the day I was injured my company went in to do an operation in an unfriendly part of the area.

“We ended up getting ambushed. I was actually at the back of the patrol and I ended up getting a round that went 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.

“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 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.”