"If you move, you could be paralysed". 

These were the 'terrifying' words Pete Watts, from Mold, heard moments before he underwent emergency surgery on his spine. 

Pete, a former Army engineer and bike enthusiast had always been fit and active until one day after coming home from a walk in November of last year. 

"I'd been on a walk round the block, came in and kicked my shoes off, as you do," he said. 

"I then bent over to pick them up and felt a horrible pain in my back." 

Having had a few minor back injuries before, Pete thought nothing of it until he rang 111 and explained the 'unreal pain' he had been feeling in both legs, he was then told to visit a hospital as soon as possible. 

The Leader: Pete is a big bike enthusiast.Pete is a big bike enthusiast.

He was told to go home and don't move, as he wasn't ticking the red flags for Cauda Equina Syndrome (CES), which compresses and affects the nerves in your legs. 

In the early hours of the morning on the day of a follow-up appointment in December, Pete woke up and had lost function from the waist down. 

"It was at that point I realised how serious it was," Pete added. 

"It felt like I'd been swallowed up into a great big hole. The ambulance arrived and we got to the hospital but there was a backlog of patients. 

"A nurse came out to me and said, 'if you move you could be paralysed'. It was absolutely terrifying."

After an examination, Pete was transferred to Gobowen Hospital, which was closed at the time, where a team was drafted in to complete emergency surgery that night. 

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As Pete regained consciousness, he was asked to wiggle his toes to check if the surgery had been successful, which it had, and the process of getting back on his feet began. 

Pete was diagnosed with CES, post-op.

After re-teaching himself to walk, slowly but surely Pete began to gain confidence and set himself the challenge of walking up Snowdon and walking a marathon, for charity.

Two months post-surgery and he had tackled Moel Famau, and two weeks ago he managed to walk to the summit of Snowdon. 

Then on May 6, Pete walked the equivalent of a marathon at a place he holds very close to his heart. 

The Leader: Pete at the summit of Snowdon.Pete at the summit of Snowdon.

Having come from Ashbourne in Derbyshire, Pete tackled the Tissington trail, a bike track that he first completed with his dad. 

Pete sadly lost his dad last year but knew that he was with him every step of the way during his challenge. 

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"It was very tough," he said. 

"It took nine hours but the feeling I have now is amazing, I'm really proud of myself and have proved I can do anything I put my mind to. 

"A white feather landed just in front of me before I set off and it reduced me to tears as they say a white feather means someone is watching you. 

"I carried that with me through the challenge."

For anyone with symptoms like Pete, the Spinal Injuries Association are providing key help to those wanting clarity. 

To visit Pete's fundraising page, click here.