“ Disability vs Everest - on a horse ”

Max Stainton

Riding Everest

It was always Max’s dream to do something unexpected, to try and attempt a feat someone like him shouldn’t be able to do. You see, Max has Cerebral Palsy, a lifelong brain condition that makes use of his limbs and hands almost impossible. While his brain is tip-top, he finds it incredibly difficult and painful to walk, use his hands, and to even dress himself. But this didn’t stop Max…

In 2015 he proposed to two friends his mad idea to trek up a mountain, on a horse. Not any old mountain, but Everest. ‘Why not?’, he thought. If everyone else can have dreams, why can’t he?

Three years later, and with a motley crew of friends and helpers on board, Max took a trusty steed (a Nepalese pony to be precise) upto the clouds, and to Everest Base Camp. In the process, he raised over £77,000 for charity, set a world record, and broke down prejudice of what disabled people can achieve.

Video Directed & Edited by Carl Reason

The Campaign

After meeting Max on a cold winters morning in January 2017, I came on board to run the marketing and to help grow the team. Over the next few months I created a catalogue of social video that supported an organic growth for our social media pages, spreading awareness and bringing in much needed donations.

Through social video, we didn’t just invite audiences to explore the project and our growing team, we also made content that challenged people’s perceptions of disability. Half-fundraiser, half-activist campaign, the project morphed into something bigger. Once we made to Everest Base Camp, the marketing campaign was in full swing, and by the time we had came down, my media connections and content had helped the story be picked up by BBC News, Sky News, and Channel 5.

18 months on, the campaign hasn’t stopped. A feature documentary about Max’s amazing challenge in being produced by Zedmill, and an impact campaign to create even more prejudice-breaking content is in the works. Find out more about the film by clicking here: