A Llanwrin nurse with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is set to climb over 450km across six countries for her veteran friend.

Despite her degenerative autoimmune condition, the 57-year-old semi-retired nurse Moira Jones has begun the trek of a lifetime in the name of her friend Carl Roberts who became paralysed during duty in the British armed forces.

Starting last month with a hike up Pen y Fan in rain and 50mph winds, Moira has committed to climbing mountains in Cambodia, the Peak District and Kerala as well as hiking from Machynlleth to Montgomery, the Camino de Santiago in Spain and the Great Wall of China.

To finish her odyssey, she’s even throwing herself out of a plane in Wiltshire.

She said due to her MS, which damages the central nervous system causing increased motor, visual and cognitive impairment, she is seizing the day while she still can, and raising money for Help for Heroes while she does it.

She said: “Everything I do is self-funded; every penny raised goes to Help for Heroes – none of it covers my expenses.

“I’ve got MS myself, so I don’t know how long I’ll be able to put one foot in front of the other.

“The parachute jump wasn’t in my original plans - my friend is 60 next year, and we decided to do it together, to celebrate.

The whole 12-month period will see all money go to Help for Heroes, as Carl was a great supporter of the charity.”

Her itinerary for her incredible year of hikes is impressive - this November she flies to Cambodia for the Angkor Wat Challenge - a five-day 94km trek.

In April she climbs seven peaks in one day with the Edale Skyline Challenge in the Peak District.

In May she will complete the 34km trek along the Great Wall of China reaching 780m altitude.

In June she’ll join the Rotary Across Wales Walk hiking 72km from Machynlleth to Montgomery.

In July she’ll hike the 145km along the Camino de Santiago in six days.

In August she has the 15,000-foot skydive before flying to India for her final trek, climbing 66km in five days to one of Western Ghat’s highest peaks.

And she’s doing it all for Carl Roberts, a family friend who she knew and cared for before he passed away five years ago at just 45, after receiving a cervical spinal cord injury which left him paralysed from the waist down whilst serving with 7 Regiment Royal Logistic Corps: “Carl became a good friend; I know the family really well.

“As a schoolboy, he worked for my father-in-law on the clay pigeon shooting ground.

“I became involved in Carl’s care following his injuries when he was a patient in the community.

“He joined the army at 16 and was injured in a road accident in Bosnia when he was 19.

“The military vehicle he was driving, carrying water tanks, tipped over and he was crushed in the cab sustaining life-changing injuries.

“Your memory lives on, and [you are] missed so much by family and friends.”

Her determination has astounded Help for Heroes’ Community Fundraising Manager Rhys Edwards: “Not only is Moira an astonishing individual in attempting all these challenges, but she’s also incredibly generous in funding them herself and donating all sponsorship money to the charity in Carl’s memory.

“We’re very grateful to her for her commitment to a cause that was close to Carl’s heart.

“It’s quite a tribute to his service.”

Her chosen charity supports veterans with physical and mental healthcare, welfare and medical needs.

To support Moira’s incredible challenge donate to her JustGiving page here - https://www.justgiving.com/page/moira-jones-1728214351638.