A WINSFORD fundraiser with a rare muscle-wasting condition completed a daring 500ft zip wire challenge to raise money for the charity that helped him to walk again.

Paul Baddeley hurtled through a Welsh quarry at over 100 miles per hour on Saturday, August 16, in aid of the Neuromuscular Centre in Woodford Lane West – where he receives physio treatment for muscular dystrophy.

The 47-year-old also volunteers at the charity three days a week, and had only contacted Zip World Snowdonia to see if they would donate a voucher for a future NMC giveaway.

“They were happy to give us the voucher,” explained Paul. “But then one of the physios said: ‘why don’t you do it yourself?’ “I got in touch thinking they’d say that they were unable to cater for me. But they said: ‘yeah, no problem’.

“I thought: ‘Oh no. What have I let myself in for?’ Paul’s now smashed his £1,000 target by more than £500 – all of which will be donated to the NMC to help them buy an easy stand glider.

The £6,000 piece of equipment enables people with muscular dystrophy to exercise unused muscles, and is the next generation of the type of equipment that helped Paul back onto his feet and reduce his dependency on a wheelchair.

The married father of two was a care-free 19-year-old when he found out he had muscular dystrophy back in 1985.

“I used to work at Royal Dalton. I had to carry stuff up and down stairs and I started to find that I was really struggling,” he remembered.

“The news didn’t knock me so much but I got upset when I saw how upset my parents were.”

In 2006, Paul shattered a tibia but the NMC helped Paul defeat the odds and walk again.

“The centre is an absolute lifeline to me. They were able to get me up on my feet.

“I try not to let the condition bother me so much, but now and then it does catch up with you.

“The zip wire experience was phenomenal. It’s something I never thought I’d be able to do, but now people at work are talking about me doing skydives and parachute jumps!”