David Burdus

summary

David Burdus severed his spinal cord in a motorcycle crash in 1983.
His inspirational life story… coping with change, forward planning and taking risks combined with his extraordinary zeal for the ‘extreme’ makes for fascinating listening.
David completed the 2008 first mountain wheelchair ascent of Ben Nevis. He is a leading UK access consultant and promotes the ‘cult’ Tunnel 2K International, ‘fastest wheelchair race on the planet’ where athletes hit 47+ mph!.

biography

David was born in Trimdon Village, County Durham 10th June 1961 to Matthew and Margaret.

He grew up in Essex, attending Chapel Hill County Primary School.  He was forever out with friends exploring the local fields and building sites and at weekends playing football for the District 11 or watching his father play cricket.

As a youth, David lived in Devon spending a lot of time trout fishing or out walking with parents and sister Margaret on Exmoor or the North Devon coast line.  He was deputy head boy at Tiverton School where he played hooker in the Rugby First IV and took the lead in the 6th form review as the ‘Prinz’ in ‘Cinderella - Grease Style’.  Out of school he played cricket alongside his father for the local village team, Culmstock.  Post-cricket pub sessions developed other interests including skittles, cider and real ale.

Obtaining A levels in Chemistry, Physics and Biology, he went on to an honours degree in Zoology from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne 1982.

He settled in the North East and his first job was managing Real Ale Office Licence in Newcastle upon Tyne selling draft real ales and spirits.  Learning how look after and serve a fine ale is a skill he is very proud of.

In 1983, David severed his spinal cord in a motor cycle accident at Spennymoor in County Durham.  He had a particularly nasty injury and spent 10 months in hospital and then a follow up two years of tests, surgery and physiotherapy before re-engaging with the real world in a light weight sports wheelchair.

David literally ‘fell’ into full-time fundraising by accident following the success of his own 12,000ft tandem parachute jump.  He developed a reputation for obtaining media coverage to boost publicity for his outdoor fund-raising stunts such as: co-piloting a blind driver at 120mph’; swimming underwater across the river Tyne;  and climbing the Tyne Bridge with mountaineering legend Chris Bonington.  In May 2008 he was one of four wheelchair team captains to successfully climb to the summit of Ben Nevis (highest peak in UK at 4,400ft) for the first time ever in a mountain wheelchair and a team of human huskies.

He became one of one of England’s first full time local authority access officers in 1988.  He worked for four years at South Tyneside MBC reporting to the Chief Planning and Building Control officers.  In 1992 he established Burdus Access Management promoting access consultancy as a support service to clients designing and constructing the built environment.  His portfolio include the Palace of Westminster and the Diana Princess of Wales memorial fountain.

In 1994, the Duke of Edinburgh presented David with his award as ‘England’s young business achiever of the year’.

Through the 1990’s, although working full time, David kept up his outdoor activities – wheelchair road racing, sea kayaking, sailing and gliding.  He has also worked as a television presenter on Tyne Tees Television’s ‘Northern Eye’, ITV Telethon, C4’s the ‘Same Difference and C4’sThe Great Outdoors.  His most memorable moments were ‘looping the loop’ in a glider and interviewing Sir Harry Secombe.

David is passionate about wheelchair racing.  His brain child, the ‘Tyne Tunnel 2K International’ is the world’s fastest and toughest wheelchair race - athletes hitting a breath-taking 47 mph http://www.tunnel2k.com.  In 2008, he was promoter/agent for wheelchair athlete, Mickey Bushell, one of Great Britain’s 2012 hopefuls http://www.mickeybushell.co.uk. 

In 2008, he was Team captain in the first ‘mountain wheelchair’ ascent of Ben Nevis.  In 2009 he took part in the 2000mile round trip Edinburgh to Berlin 1st leg of http://www.transglobeoto.com on the 1200cc Martin Conquest wheelchair accessible motor trike.
He now lives in Corbridge, Northumberland – the heart of Hadrian’s Wall country with his fiancée Janet.  They have three children and two grand children between them.

David’s passions include North East England, driving his car in the sunshine, cooking traditional English food (learned at his mother’s side), real ale (his first job was managing a real ale off licence) and growing his own vegetables (green beans and rhubarb are his favourites).

David and his fiancée Janet are long term foster carers.
David is on the Council of Governors South Tees NHS Foundation Trust
David is also a Cartoonist!

photos

Testimonials

“David played a key role in our Ken Nevis event in 2008 - leading our team up Ben Nevis.  After the event, David came to speak to our staff in our Edinburgh and Glasgow offices.

The word “inspirational” is used too loosely. That epithet can truly be applied to David. His humility in speaking to us - as neither a victim nor a hero - really resonated and helped a lot of us look at our lives with a sense of proportion and inspired us to try and make a difference.”

Philip Rodney, Chairman of Burness, http://www.burness.co.uk.