Former rugby player Richard Harris has completed a seven-month drive across Africa despite being partially paralysed in a sporting accident.
The former Torquay Athletic player took part in the challenge to raise awareness for the charity Motivation, which works to improve the lives of disabled people in developing countries.
Richard and his wife Rachel drove the length of Africa in a specially converted Land Rover.
Richard, 45, damaged his spinal cord in 1986 whilst playing rugby. He gets around using walking sticks, wheelchairs and a handcycle, but said many disabled people in Africa have no means of getting around.
He added: “You see some people dragging themselves around with flip-flops on their hands, but you don’t see too many wheelchairs.
“Motivation can get appropriate wheelchairs made in the People’s Republic of China for around £140 and some of those are starting to appear.
“The things we take for granted in this country, such as our National Health Service, are largely unknown in most of Africa.”
At one point in the trip Richard was joined by former Torquay Athletic team-mate Maurice Dunn and friend Richard Hale.
As well as raising awareness of the charity, the trip raised £4,000 for Motivation.
The couple, who had to remortgage their Torquay home to pay for the expedition, faced many challenges along their journey, but Richard said he didn’t regret any of it.
He added: “It has to be paid back and to do that we are relying on the value of our home going up in future years. Both of us are glad we did it.”