'I'm a Wigan lad who wanted to prove people wrong'

A wheelchair rugby player with cerebral palsy who pedalled more than 40 miles using only his hands has said he was just a "proud Wigan lad" who wanted to prove what people with disabilities can do.

Jordan Burns, 30, from Standish in Wigan, hand-pedalled 64.4 km to raise funds for his rugby team at Wigan Warriors and the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA).

Mr Burns was cheered on by teammates as he completed the challenge using a handcycle at Wigan’s Robin Park Leisure Centre on Tuesday, surrounded by friends and family.

"My disability has given me a drive. I felt so ecstatic to know my hard work has paid off," he told BBC Radio Manchester.

He said: "Some people think people with disabilities can't do anything like I just did and I wanted to break down that stigma of that."

Mr Burns, who is set to go into his fourth season with the Wigan Warriors wheelchair rugby team, said he was also inspired to fundraise for his club to help with the cost of buying some kit and new wheelchairs.

He said: "It's great to be part of a team and especially great to have some of my teammates cheering me on at the challenge.

"The money will mean the world to us because we want to progress as a team, we actually want to get better as a group and obviously the main aim is - because I'm a Wigan lad, I actually want to win trophies with my club."

Mr Burns was also inspired by his admiration of Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield.

"'I'm a massive rugby league fan and I just love their relationship and what Kevin's done for charity," he said.

"Even though I'm a Wigan Warriors fan, I've followed their careers and I wanted to contribute some of the money to the MND Association because of that."

Six months' gruelling training for the challenge involved "a lot of gym and a lot of graft", Mr Burns said.

There were also times he questioned if he would be able to achieve the 40 miles, he said, but completing it in the end was "an absolutely fantastic feeling".

"Being a wheelchair-user drives me to challenge the stigma that people with disabilities can't do things like this," Mr Burns said.

"People with a disability can achieve things - and that's something I proved yesterday for myself and other people to see."

The morning after the challenge he received a message from a man with MND, who had reached out to thank him for his efforts.

He knew "as soon as I got that message" that he wanted to take on another challenge in the future, he said.

Mr Burns said: "It was absolutely fantastic to have people reach out and make that connection.

"So I'm not exactly sure what that challenge is going to be, but it is definitely going to be at some point next year."

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