Ben Lovell, amputee fundraiser
“I lost a limb, not my life”
In 2017 Ben Lovell had his right leg amputated due to a blood clot, a life-changing moment that led him to some dark places. But during lockdown, he made a decision not to live in the past by telling himself ‘I lost a limb, not my life’. This is the story of how he’s using his experiences to fundraise and inspire others.
“I asked myself, how could I inspire other amputees to believe the same ethos as me? It was then that the idea came to me that I could start AmpCamp, for amputees to come together and share their own experiences, rehabilitating themselves and their lives with a little help along the way.
“I’ve just returned from my very first camp with six amputees at our resort in Tenerife, and from day one saw the benefit it could have for people, as well as the positive impact it can have on their families. As a parent and amputee myself, I wanted to reach the younger generation of amputees that have been physically and mentally affected by their journey in life. I want these children to have an experience that they will carry for the rest of their lives, a holiday with no stigma of being an amputee. A holiday where the keyword is FUN.
“We want to provide holidays to children at no cost, and so AmpCamp Kids was Born. To send six children and their families each time will cost in the region of £13,000, so we needed to start fundraising and that’s the moment the mountains started calling me. Living in Yorkshire I started local, taking on Pen-y-ghent with my family. The buzz and sense of achievement I gained from being on a mountain was electric, and I soon realised I had a new passion that I never knew was there.
“I knew then that climbing mountains, amongst other things, would be the perfect way to raise much needed funds for AmpCamp Kids. So myself and my wife, Lauz, went to attempt Helvellyn. I’ll admit, being new to mountains, my map-reading skills weren’t honed and we took a bit of a diversion,
learning scrambling skills on the spot. We returned a fortnight later, taking on Sca Fell, then again to take on England’s highest peak, Scafell Pike.
“Next I wanted to attempt the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge, but we all know the unpredictability of Yorkshire weather and only completed Pen-y-ghent and Whernside. I returned to complete Ingleborough, then marched on to do 13 laps of Ogden Reservoir without my prosthetic, which was physically and mentally the toughest yet. But with some of the children paying me a visit and spurring me on, I achieved the goal.
“Over the past three months I’ve walked over 80 miles, climbed six mountains and made an ascent of over 5000m, the same height as when I jumped from a plane to raise money for the kids. What next? We will be hitting Snowdon, Pen y Fan, and for my big birthday bash me and another Ben will get acquainted when I attempt the highest peak in Britain.”
Follow Ben’s journey on Instagram @just_the_one_leg
