CHARITY patron Annie Maw has successfully climbed Glastonbury Tor in a wheelchair in a huge fundraising effort for Festival Medical Services.
Annie Maw, former Lord Lieutenant of Somerset, had never been to the top of the 158-metre (518 foot) iconic landmark – even before she had her horse-riding accident in 2002 which led to her becoming a wheelchair-user.
However, she completed the feat on Saturday, May 4, with help from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, and raising over £13,000 in the process.
Festival Medical Services hope to split part of the money raised between two other charities - Motivation and Humanity & Inclusion.
Read more: Woman to climb Glastonbury Tor in all-terrain wheelchair to inspire others
Former nurse Annie said: “I had the most amazing experience of being up there, which is an extraordinary, unique place. 
“The team of about 20 Devon and Somerset firefighters took it in turns to push and pull me with ropes up the path which was 260 steps and almost perpendicular in places.
“I was quite fearful beforehand, but actually on the day I was not frightened at all because the firefighters are the most unpanicked people you could ever meet.
“I took on this challenge for two reasons.
"Firstly, I wanted to highlight that being a wheelchair-user can bring many difficulties in getting around to places that able-bodied people take for granted – but we must keep pushing the boundaries and proving there is more and more we can achieve.
“Secondly, I did it to tell the world about Festival Medical Services as they head into the festival season in 2024.
"They are the most incredible, generous people who work voluntarily at festivals because they want to send funds to other voluntary organisations bringing medical care into countries where people are suffering from wars and natural disasters and are in desperate need of wheelchairs.
“I always wanted to help someone with the same injury as me somewhere else in the world because there are 100 million people in the world who need wheelchairs who haven’t got them.
“Even if we only put enough money together to get a few people a wheelchair, that’s better than none, so I feel elated.”
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