A tetraplegic Army veteran has raised over £28,000 for charity after completing a 79-mile coast-to-coast journey across Scotland in a wheelchair controlled by his chin.
Danny Mavor, who served with the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards in Iraq, tackled the Great Glen Way from Fort William to Inverness over three days, in aid of Regain, a charity which supports people living with tetraplegia.
He reached the finish line at Clachnaharry Sea Lock on September 25, where he was greeted by a crowd of supporters, including his mum, Heather, and former comrades who had accompanied him on the challenge.
“It was amazing to be outdoors properly once again, feeling some adrenalin and feeling loads of love from my friends and family,” Danny said.
Danny joined the Army on his 16th birthday in 2000 and served as a gunner and driver on the Challenger 2 main battle tank in Germany, before being deployed to Iraq in 2005. He left the Army in 2007.
In 2019, his life changed dramatically when a motorcycle accident left him paralysed from the neck down. Danny sustained a high cervical spinal cord injury affecting the C3/C4 region, leaving him with limited voluntary movement.
He undertook the challenge not only to raise funds for Regain, which supports people with tetraplegia to live independently, but also to demonstrate that life after a catastrophic spinal injury can still be filled with adventure.
For the journey, Danny used an XT4 all-terrain wheelchair. However, the route presented significant obstacles. On the second day alone, he was forced to navigate detours caused by a fallen tree and a rockslide.
"It was hard, with some quite treacherous sections," he said. "But the real challenge for tetraplegics, and for their families, friends and carers, is often what happens behind the scenes."
Calum Frampton, chief executive of Regain, who took part in Danny’s Big Challenge, said the charity is “incredibly proud” of Danny.
“This was a seriously arduous challenge and, having been out there with him, I have seen at first hand just what it took – not only from Danny, but from the extraordinary group of family, friends and former Army colleagues around him,” he added.
“One of the things we care deeply about at Regain is helping people with tetraplegia rediscover a sense of possibility after a life-changing injury. Danny has certainly done that here. He has had adventure again, camaraderie, a real sense of purpose, and he has done something formidable.
“His fundraising will also make a real difference to other people living with tetraplegia. We are enormously grateful to Danny and to everyone who has supported him.”
Donations to Danny Mavor’s challenge for Regain can be made at www.justgiving.com/page/dannys-big-challenge-2026.