A military veteran from Wilmslow who lost the use of his arm in Afghanistan has been named a finalist for a bravery award after being the first ever disabled person to reach the South Pole in an impressive 50-day skiing expedition.

Martin Hewitt, who was born in Salford and lives in Wilmslow, completed a skiing expedition covering more than 650km in 50 days where he scaled the highest peak in the South Pole.

Martin scaled Mount Vinson in the South Pole in an incredible world first polar mission, during which he battled -50C temperatures and 40 to 45mph winds, all while pulling sleds on skis.

In recognition of his impressive feat, Martin has progressed to the final four of the Amplifon Awards for Brave Britons 2022 in the Against All Odds category.

The global-hearing specialist, Amplifon, launched the award in search for the ‘Best of British’ heroes and the 2022 awards will be the seventh year it has celebrated remarkable people and pets.

The father of two will be invited to the virtual awards presentation on Tuesday, October 11, which will be hosted by BBC1 Breakfast and Radio 5 by presenter, Rachel Burden, while Falklands War Hero, Simon Weston, will be guest of honour and judge.

Martin, who is also the founder of Adaptive Grand Slam, an accessible exploring charity which organises expeditions and challenging events, was a captain with the parachute regiment before losing the use of his arm after being shot in Afghanistan at the age of 26.

As part of his rehabilitation, he started embarking on expeditions and in 2012 set himself the challenge of climbing the highest peaks on all seven continents through his exploration charity.

The Adaptive Grand Slam usually takes a group of disabled adventurers but, because of Covid, only Martin and his guide, Louis Rudd, could embark upon the South Pole trip.

However, to date, Martin and his team of explorers have overcome adversity and various disabilities to reach the North Pole unsupported and have summitted Mount Denali, Mount Elbrus, Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Aconcagua and Mount Everest.

Martin said: “When I first started doing this it was more on a personal level and about trying to redefine myself and trying to find sense of purpose for myself.

“And when I first started accomplishing these feats there was an element of gratitude for the people who had helped make it happen.

“But now it’s more really a sense of happiness for other people.”

The Amplifon Awards was set up in honour of its founder and Second World War hero, Major Charles Holland, to recognise the courage and achievement of remarkable individuals.

Charles Holland was awarded an MBE, Military Cross and Bronze Star from the United States government in 1948 for his bravery behind enemy lines during world war two.

After the war, he dedicated his life to providing better hearing for people affected by the conflict and in 1950 launched Amplifon which has become a global company specialising in providing the best hearing solutions and devices.

The Amplifon Awards include categories in Against All Odds, Service to Country Charity Champion, Active Agers, Young Hero, Hero Pet, Celebrity Hero and Coronavirus Hero.

The judges will also choose an Overall Hero Award winner across the categories of winners.