On Wednesday 14th June, 2023, Ben Spencer, otherwise known as the ‘Tube Snapper’, took on his toughest challenge yet – climbing Snowdonia National Park (Yr Wyddfa) using a wheelchair, a rollator and adapted walking sticks. Ben’s goal was to raise awareness of accessibility in London and beyond, and to raise funds for Ataxia UK.
Ben’s journey to Snowdon began with wheelchair accessible transport, including a London bus, the London Underground, the Elizabeth Line, mainline trains and the Snowdon Sherpa bus service. After 16.5 hours of climbing, Ben and his support team of 5 reached the peak of Mount Snowdon.
Ataxia is a progressive neurological condition that disrupts the messages sent from the brain to the muscles, affecting 10,000 adults and 500 children in the UK.
Ataxia UK CEO, Sue Millman said: “Most people can’t conceive the access problems for disabled people when using public transport, unless they’re disabled themselves or they have had close contact with somebody who is disabled. The simplest journeys can become complicated by one or two steps, or the lack of dropped curb.”
Ben has used the international news coverage he received for his previous challenge of visiting and photographing every single one of the 272 stations on the London Underground network, to raise awareness of his condition, as well as the need for improvements in accessible travel within the capital and beyond.
Ben’s story highlights the issues faced by disabled people when using public transport, and the need to create an accessible world for everyone.
For more information on Ben’s journey, please visit www.snowdon4ataxia.com, and for more information about Ataxia UK please visit www.ataxia.org.uk. With any press-related queries, or requests for video and stills content from the climb day, please contact Viktor Elzer 020 7582 1444 or email Ataxia UK’s communications team at: communications@ataxia.org.uk.
On Wednesday 14th June, 2023, Ben Spencer, otherwise known as the ‘Tube Snapper’, took on his toughest challenge yet – climbing Snowdonia National Park (Yr Wyddfa). Ben, who is living with Ataxia, a progressive neurological condition which affects 10,000 adults and 500 children in the UK, set out to raise awareness of accessibility in London and beyond, and to raise funds for Ataxia UK.
Ben documented his journey to Snowdon, which began with wheelchair accessible transport, including a London bus, the London Underground, the Elizabeth Line, mainline trains and the Snowdon Sherpa bus service. After 16.5 hours of climbing, Ben and his support team of 5 reached the peak of Mount Snowdon.
Ataxia UK CEO, Sue Millman said: “Most people can’t conceive the access problems for disabled people when using public transport, unless they’re disabled themselves or they have had close contact with somebody who is disabled. The simplest journeys can become complicated by one or two steps, or the lack of dropped curb.”
Ben has used the international news coverage he received for his previous challenge of visiting and photographing every single one of the 272 stations on the London Underground network, to raise awareness of his condition, as well as the need for improvements in accessible travel within the capital and beyond. His story highlights the issues faced by disabled people when using public transport, and the need to create an accessible world for everyone.
For more information on Ben’s journey, please visit www.snowdon4ataxia.com, and for more information about Ataxia UK please visit www.ataxia.org.uk. With any press-related queries, or requests for video and stills content from the climb day, please contact Viktor Elzer 020 7582 1444 or email Ataxia UK’s communications team at: communications@ataxia.org.uk.
On Wednesday 14th June, 2023, Ben Spencer, known as the ‘Tube Snapper’, successfully completed his toughest challenge to date – climbing Snowdonia National Park (Yr Wyddfa) using a wheelchair, a rollator and adapted walking sticks. Ben’s goal was to raise awareness of accessibility in London and beyond, and to raise funds for Ataxia UK, a progressive neurological condition which affects 10,000 adults and 500 children in the UK.
Ben documented his journey to Snowdon, which began with wheelchair accessible transport, including a London bus, the London Underground, the Elizabeth Line, mainline trains and the Snowdon Sherpa bus service. After 16.5 hours of climbing, Ben and his support team of 5 reached the peak of Mount Snowdon.
Atax
Derick is an experienced reporter having held multiple senior roles for large publishers across Europe. Specialist subjects include small business and financial emerging markets.