Boy, 7, who was told he would never walk climbs Ben Nevis

A seven-year-old boy with cerebral palsy whose parents were told he would never walk has climbed the highest mountain in the British Isles.

The parents of Caeden Thomson, from Corby, Northamptonshire, were also told he would never sit or talk.

He climbed Ben Nevis on Saturday to raise money for the charity Scope.

Caeden's mother Lisa Thomson said the challenge was "much harder than any of us really expected" but called her son "an absolute legend".

She said they began climbing at 09:00 BST and reached the top at 17:30, before making their way to the bottom again at 22:30.

Ms Thomson said: "From three quarters up the pathway is just massive piles of boulders and very hard to climb, and even at the top we didn't think he would make it down.

"There were danger areas where carrying was really difficult, so he did have to walk down a lot of it too. Bless him. We are all super proud of him."

As of Sunday morning, the family reached their £8,000 target for the disability equality charity.

The family were due to be climbing the 4,413ft (1.3km) Scottish mountain in May but it had to be postponed due to coronavirus.

Before their latest trip Ms Thomson said he decided to take on the challenge as "he wants to give back".

She said he had undertaken physiotherapy, speech and language therapy and hydrotherapy since he was born.

"Caeden's life began with huge struggle, stress and a feeling of the unknown and he was very lucky to have had all the help and support he got," she said.

"He is a very happy boy who tries his very best not to let his disability stop him from keeping up with his two older siblings and his friends."

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]