87-year-old Milton Keynes veteran with sight loss becomes oldest person on record to climb Ben Nevis

Retiree John Banfield climbed Ben Nevis on Armed Forces Day, completing the extraordinary challenge with courage, humour and the support of those around him, despite sight loss, difficult terrain and a demanding descent from the summit.

His aim was to raise money for Blind Veterans UK and inspie his community with a message of resilience, courage and never giving up.

John , who lives at ExtraCare’s Shenley Wood Village in MK, was a former national serviceman who served from 1958 to 1960. He chose Armed Forces Day for the climb as a meaningful way to honour his own forces background while raising money for a charity close to his heart.

Standing at 1,345 metres, Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the UK and the British Isles. John had climbed it once before, 22 years ago, at the age of 67. Returning in his eighties, and with impaired sight, he found the mountain far more challenging this time, but remained determined to see it through.

“There’s been a major rockfall on Ben Nevis and it was a challenge,” he said. “It was brutal in some places, but we did it.”

John credits RAF veteran Gary Thomas, a former RAF mountain rescue volunteer, with helping him complete the climb safely. Because of John’s sight impairment, Gary acted as his guide and “pathfinder”, carefully helping him navigate gaps between rocks and stretches of difficult terrain.

Even when the climb became tough, John’s mindset never wavered. He says the challenge was powered by determination, duty and a deep refusal to give up. “I wouldn’t have let anyone down. It’s do or die. You have to get it done. It’s all in the mind.”

Narrowly missing Princess Kate’s own efforts up the mountain, John reached the summit in just five and a half hours, far quicker than he had expected.

He said: “I couldn’t believe it. I thought it’d be 10 hours. I was feeling elated.”

At the summit, John was met with with almost 300 people congratulating him.

“At the top everyone surrounded me.. they were all shaking my hand, that was a memory I will never forget. It brought tears to my eyes.”

One fellow climber joked: “I’m 26 years old and you’ve got up here faster than I have.”

The challenge also became a source of pride for those living and working at John’s charity-run retirement village, where he has lived for 14 years.

“It united the village, everyone came together to support me and cheer me on,” he said.

One resident said: “Anything he does, he does it with gusto. If you look at him, inside there’s just a 16-year-old lad.”

John, who has raised £1,225 through the climb, hopes his story encourages others to step beyond what they think is possible.

“Get out of your comfort zone,” he says. “It doesn’t matter how fit you are, you never know what’s around the corner. I just wake up every morning and think, ‘I’m still here. I’m glad to be alive’.

“I’m a very positive person. If you think you can do it? You can do it.”

To donate to John’s climb, visit here.