WHEN Andrew Tomlinson reached the top of the world's highest freestanding mountain the first thing he did was congratulate all the other climbers.

A kind gesture and more so because the majority are unlikely to have faced the same hurdles as Andrew did to get there.

The 33-year-old from Glasgow is one of only a handful of Brits with Cerebral Palsy to have conquered Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

With paralysis affecting the left side of his body and poor balance he had to rely on two guides, a broken stick and "stubborn" determination to plant his Glasgow Warriors flag at the peak.

On the way up he battled severe exhaustion, a bad fall and recurrent nose bleeds and feared he would be forced to give up.

However, against the odds he completed the challenge, passing a stretcher on the way down that was on the way up to collect him.

Andrew said: "It's hard for me to get around. I still have to fight a mental battle battle to go outside my house.

"I think that's what encouraged me to do it.

"In many ways, it was so impossible.....but so many people focus on all the things you can't do."

Andrew was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck which caused him to suffer a lack of oxygen to his brain.

It is thought to have led to him developing Cerebral Palsy, a group of permanent movement disorders that appear in early childhood and affects one in every 400 babies.

Symptoms include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors and there also be problems with vision, hearing, swallowing, and speaking.

Andrew, who lives in Cardonald with his mum Linda, suffers from Hemiplegia, which means that both the arms and legs of his left side are weakened but he also has some weakeness in right side.

He was the first child with a disability to go to Cardonald Primary School and he progressed to study accounting at Glasgow Caledonian University, where every lecture note and exam had to be written by a scribe.

Andrew has battled depression and faced challenges to get a job in his field, attending hundreds of interviews without success. He believes many employers can't see past his physical disability but he now works at Penilee Credit Union.

It was after falling on his way to work and snapping his femur that he came up with the idea to climb Africa's highest peak.

Roughly 30,000 trekkers every year try to reach the summit, which rises to 5,895 metres above sea level, but only around 60% complete the challenge.

He said: "I was in hospital for two or three weeks and I thought if I can break my hip just walking to work, if I break it again I want to have a story attached to it."

He prepared for the challenge by walking in the Campsie Fells and trying to build up his muscles with Gyrotonics, an exercise regime based on yoga using specialised equipment.

He said: "I did a lot of research about whether it was would be possible for me to do this. I contacted the mountaineering council and it just so happened they put me in touch with a guy from the Lake District who also has Cerebral Palsy called Dave Pagden who took part in the 1992 Paralympics.

"He was the first European with Cerbral Palsy to climb Kilimanjaro and he gave me loads of advice. The fact that naturally I would have more muscle fatigue, my balance wouldn't be as good.

"My muscles are always in spasm so they use up far more energy.

"I burn 150% more calories than the average person."

Andrew, who also suffers from Asthma says he found Mount Meru, considered a "warm up" for Kilimanjaro, tougher than the final climb.

Experienced climbers say the 4562m ascent can be more challenging than even the last night on Kilimanjaro because the path isn't as good and there is some scrambling involved.

He said: "It starts off in 30 degree heat and then once you get to about 2000ft the weather becomes a bit more Scotland like.

"Coming down I had four or five nosebleeds because the air is so dry.

"I was worried I wouldn't actually be able to climb Kilimanjaro.

"It was four days up and down. The fact you have got the scenery and the wildlife it takes your mind off how your body is feeling.

"I had a couple of falls but my guides always had a hand on me, if I was really struggling. They had my back.

"One of the things that strikes you is the sheer vastness of Kilimanjaro. There are so many people doing it.

"On the second day I felt like giving up. It was a sheer nightmare because I was so tired.

"In some ways I breathed easier though because I was away from all the pollution in the city.

"The hardest part was coming back down. On summit night, there is one picture of me where I just look dead.

"You have climbed for five days. Coming back down I just had no energy whatsoever. I had fallen on the way up quite badly on the hip that I had broken.

"Everything was in agony.

"The whole trek is a journey of faith. It is quite spiritual in many ways because you don't know what's going to happen.

"Part of climbing Kilimanjaro was about learning about my disability and learning about me.

"I didn't really have any role models growing up, someone like me. Even now, there is nothing on TV really.

"I wanted to almost be a role model for young people in the future."

Andrew raised more than £2000 for the charity Bobath Scotland, through his climb, which works to help improve the lives of people affected by Cerebral Palsy.

Mum Linda said: "He's surpassed every expectation since he was born. I'm very proud of him."

To contribute to Andrew's sponsor fund visit www.uk.virginmoneygiving.com/AndrewTomlinson6