Yorkshire war veteran who saved climber on Mount Everest returns to the peak
Last year, Yorkshireman and war veteran Leslie Binns abandoned his dream of reaching the top of Mount Everest to save the life of a fellow climber. Now he has set off on a mission to finish what he started.
Binns, 42, from Rotherham, was in sight of the summit when he sacrificed his lifetime ambition to save Sunita Hazra who nearly fell to her death.
Binns, who was in the Army for 13 years and received awards for bravery, was left blind in his left eye after being hit by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan in 2009.
The father of one is now making a second attempt to summit the world’s highest mountain to raise money for ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, which helped him retrain after he was medically discharged from the Army.
This time he plans plant a Welcome to Yorkshire flag on top of the world’s highest mountain.
He left Yorkshire clutching a special Welcome to Yorkshire flag to board a plane to Nepal where he will begin the journey to Everest Base Camp. He is expected to reach the summit late May.
Binns said: “I am very excited and I am hoping I am going to get to the top this time.
“Going back to where people have died is going to be tough but I have got to look at the positives – I managed to save someone’s life and now she is back with her family.”
“It is the most physically and mentally exhausting thing I have ever done,” he said. “But when you are there it is unbelievable – I can’t describe how incredible it is to be literally on top of the world.
“I’m honoured to be raising money for ABF The Soldiers’ Charity as they have been a massive support to me since leaving the Army and I hope I can do Yorkshire proud by flying a special Yorkshire flag from the highest point on earth.”
Sir Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “Leslie is an incredible man and his story is truly remarkable. He embodies true Yorkshire grit and determination and I know the county will be with him every step of his epic climb. We wish him all the very best.”
Leslie Binns with fiancée Lindsey Empringham and three-year-old daughter Emma.
