A WAR hero who lost part of one of his legs in action is set to touch the top of the world as he aims to conquer Everest.

Ex-Para Terry Byrne is waiting for the right weather to attempt the highest peak on the planet as part of his challenge to become the first disabled adventurer to complete the Explorers Grand Slam.

The grand slam involves trekking to the North and South poles and reaching the highest peaks on each of the seven continents.

Terry’s first peak was Europe’s highest mountain, Mount Elbrus in Russia.

He has also tackled Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa and Aconcagua in Argentina.

He reached the top of Mount Pumori in Nepal which has an elevation of more than 7,000 metres.

Now the father-of-two, from Colchester, is set to tackle Mount Everest.

The former Parachute Regiment soldier was injured in Afghanistan in 2008.

He was leading a night patrol when he stood on an improvised explosive device which was triggered by a pressure pad.

His right leg was seriously injured below the knee.

Terry was treated at Camp Bastion before being flown back to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham where surgeons amputated part of his leg.

Yet Terry is determined to complete the climb using a prosthetic limb.

He is also a world champion cyclist and accomplished mountaineer.

Two weeks into his rehabilitation Terry tried out for the British Paralympic team and was selected for cycling.

If he is successful on the world’s highest peak he will be close to becoming the first disabled adventurer to complete the Explorers Grand Slam.

His climbing partner, Martin Hewitt, is also an injured former Para.

Terry, 34, is confident if weather and conditions permit, he will successfully reach the peak.

He said: “I’m fit and confident but even then we still need a bit of luck with the weather.

“Being a father means psychologically it’s very much about coming back safely.

“If we are successful it will be an amazing experience.”

Both Terry and Martin are tackling Everest as part of the Adaptive Grand Slam initiative, which was created by Martin to allow people with life-changing injuries to take on some of the world’s most extreme challenges.

Terry said: “The ultimate goal for me is definitely to achieve the grand slam.

“The challenge has replaced what I miss from the Army, which is the camaraderie and the extreme effort in harsh environments.

“I am lucky on civvy street as I have a decent job that does get intense but I struggle with the nine-to-five because it so different from the Army.

“I am goal orientated and I have always been chasing something.”

UPDATE: Unfortunately on Wednesday Terry had to take the decision to pull out of the expedition after sustaining an injury on the climb up Pumori. At first the team hoped he just needed to rest. He was experiencing pain his the stump of his amputated leg. But over several days the pain got worse and he was unable to wear a prosthetic for any length of time. It is now suspected he has fractured the bone in his leg.