TubeSnapper, the alias of Ben Spencer, embarks on his most ambitious challenge yet in Snowdon4Ataxia.

On Tuesday 6th June, 2023, wheelchair user Ben Spencer, better known as ‘Tube Snapper’, will attempt to climb Mount Snowdon in North Wales to raise awareness of Ataxia, a degenerative neurological condition.

Ben, who recently completed a 4-month challenge to visit, enter, exit and photograph every single one of the 272 stations on the London Underground network, is now championing disability access and highlighting issues faced by mobility impaired travellers on his social media channels.

To help inspire those with Ataxia and raise funds for research and supportive care, Ben plans to climb Snowdon using his wheelchair and rollator. For the final push to the top, he will use two specially adapted walking sticks. Ben’s support team consists of four volunteers and the estimated climb time is 15 hours. With travel and rest days, the challenge will be a 5-day marathon.

Ataxia is a progressive neurological condition that disrupts the messages sent from the brain to the muscles, including those used to speak, listen and see. Over time, people with Ataxia are slowly imprisoned in their own bodies, losing the tools they once had to communicate with loved ones. More than 10,000 adults and 500 children in the UK live with Ataxia and there is currently no cure.

Ataxia UK CEO, Sue Millman, said: “Most people can’t conceive the access problems that disabled people face 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 a dropped kerb. We should create an accessible world for everybody.”

To support Ben’s fundraising efforts, visit www.snowdon4ataxia.com. For more information about Ataxia, go to www.ataxia.org.uk.

For any press and sponsorship-related queries, contact Viktor Elzer on 020 7582 1444 or email Ataxia UK’s communications team at: communications@ataxia.org.uk.