An elite para-skier and former soldier from Kingsbridge has set off on an expedition to become the first disabled person to ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole.

Jonny Huntington, 38, flew to Chile this week before heading onto the ice. Once there, he will cover 911 kilometres (566 miles) in about 40 days, dragging all his food and equipment in a sledge weighing about 110kg (242lbs).

To give an idea of the scale of the challenge, only 51 people have skied solo to the South Pole compared to the more than 650 that have been to space, but no-one with a disability has ever attempted to do the former.

Mr Huntington suffered a serious stroke in 2014 while working out in the gym, just eight weeks after joining the army. It left him paralysed from the neck down on the left side of his body.

After about a decade of rehabilitation he was able to walk again, although he was left with restricted movement on the affected side.

During his recovery he became a member of the Armed Forces Para-Snowsport Team, which fuelled his love of cross-country skiing.

Last year he completed an ultra-marathon from Manchester to London in preparation for the expedition, and as his final preparation he completed a gruelling 20-day solo training session through Sweden in April.

Speaking to this paper earlier this year, he said he took up the challenge in part “to encourage other people to push themselves and try to overcome their own issues”.