Top of the World

Martin Hibbert was left paralysed from the waist down by the Manchester Arena bombing which killed twenty-two people on 22 May 2017. Martin's teenage daughter Eve was one of the 940 injured, in Eve's case, gravely. The dad from Bolton has since become a leading campaigner both for victims of the atrocity and those with spinal cord injuries. Determined to make a difference he took on the ultimate challenge, scaling Kilimanjaro in a wheelchair, becoming the second paraplegic to do so, and raising a million pounds for charity. Reaching the summit, on 13 June 2022 Martin, who was the closest person to the bomber to survive, said, 'I've often wondered why I was saved. Now I know why. It was for this moment.' This is Martin's incredible story. AUTHORS: Martin Hibbert is a dad of one from Bolton, Lancashire. After two separate courses of radical NeuroPhysics therapy in Australia Martin regained movement in his legs and was able to stand in his callipers. He is the vice-chairman of the Spinal Injuries Association and is also involved in seeking justice for those affected by the Manchester Arena bombing. He hopes to build an NPT clinic in Manchester so all spinal cord injury patients can receive the same radical treatment. He lives in Chorley with his wife Gabby and cocker spaniel Alfie. Fiona Duffy has worked as a journalist for more than thirty years. After graduating from the College of Ripon and York St John she became an apprentice journalist with Westminster Press, gaining a diploma in Journalism. After seven years working in local newspapers, Fiona moved to women's magazines and, eventually, became a freelance writer for national publications. Her work with victims of crime over two decades has also seen her co-launch and run the high-profile campaign for Helen's Law which was added to the statute book in January 2021. As a result, convicted killers who refuse to disclose the whereabouts of their victims will face longer sentences. Fiona has won two awards for this work; Campaign of the Year 2019 at the British Journalism Awards and the national Making a Difference Campaign 2020 for Journalism Matters. Fiona lives in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, with her husband, two children and Sprollie (a springer spaniel-collie cross) dog, Maddie.