'We overcame our differences to reach GB squad'

One man's love of climbing has brought a group of people with impairments together on the climbing wall - with five of them now in the running for Paralympic glory.

GB Paraclimber James Rudge formed a community of climbers - some of whom are ed blind, while others were born without a forearm - and built their confidence to find new ways of tackling the wall.

The group, some said, was the impetus they needed to try the sport - and they returned for the sense of community.

Within a year, four of the group in the West have ed James to become competitive athletes and have been selected for the GB Paraclimbing squad. One of them had only been climbing for a year.

They could go on to compete in the sport's Paralympic debut in Los Angeles in 2028.

Paraclimbing is competitive climbing for athletes with disabilities. All kinds of adaptations are made to help them access the sport, such as modifications to a wall, gripping aids and sight guides.

The BBC went to Redpoint, an indoor climbing centre in Bristol, to find out the impact of the community.

James, who was raised in Bath and lives in Bristol, was born without a left forearm.

He said he was born a thrillseeker and was always "jumping off and climbing up things".

He was selected for the GB squad four years after starting climbing, in 2015.

Since then, he said "everything's been an upward trajectory" and he wanted to help other people.

James, 32, said: "We're all perfectly capable of functioning just fine in society as it is, but I learned how beneficial it can be to have people around you with that same mindset."

James formed the community in February 2024 after realising there was a lack of climbing groups outside of London for people with additional needs.

They meet up at least once a month in Redpoint and Mothership in Bristol, and Frome Boulder Rooms in Somerset. Some travel from as far afield as Devon and Coventry.

James said: "People were telling me 'you can't be a hardcore athlete and do all this community stuff'.

"I proved them wrong, this is how I'm thriving. If you're a happy climber and you're doing good mentally, then you're going to perform better at the competitions as well."

At 16 years old Charly Andrew was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma, a type of bone cancer which meant she had to relearn how to walk.

She told the BBC she had the most aggressive form of cancer treatment a child could have, and surgeons removed a tumour the size of a grapefruit from her pelvis.

She said becoming part of the climbing community has been one of the best things to happen to her.

"I don't think the me of 10 years ago would have believed this was possible at all," she said.

"It's still wild to me it's happening, but it's been one of the best things that's happened in the whole journey of my health."

Charly spent years in Spain running a climbing hostel with her now partner. They returned to Somerset and opened Frome Boulder Rooms together.

Her first competition was in Scotland in September last year, and it put the 33-year-old's name on the GB squad list.

Charly, from Wiltshire, said "seeing people solve problems in different ways" and spending time climbing with people who "have totally different things going on" is special.

"Everyone has little something extra in life they have to deal with," she added.

Similar to James, Zac Pomphrey was born without his right forearm.

He took up rope climbing last year after seeing James and saying to himself "if he can do it, so can I".

"I could count with my hand how many times I've even seen someone with my arm, let alone being in regular communication with someone," he explained.

Zac, from Bristol, said he is "trying to adopt a 'why not":[]}