METRO Wednesday, October 14, 2009 D Kevins real cliffhanger The inspirational story of one mans achievements against the odds Hanging tough: Kevin hopes the film about his achievements will be an inspiration to other people Pictures: Central Scotland News AgencyI live for climbing: Kevin Shields AN EPILEPTIC man who was born with just one hand and told he would never be able to climb a tree or ride a bike is to star in a film celebrating his heroic climbing achievements. Kevin Shields, who has just a thumb on his left hand, has mastered difficult levels of climbing grades including ice climbing. And now a film, called Single Handed, has been made about his achievements. Directed by Paul Diffley, it premieres in Edinburgh this weekend. The first day I tried scrambling up in Glencoe was like a door opening, said the 31-year-old, from Fort William, in Scotland. It felt brilliant and I decided I wanted to try rock climbing next. And when I got the hang of that, I went ice climbing too. I live for climbing. I work just enough to be able to pay the bills, but I want to spend as much time in the mountains as possible. Nothing else matters at the moment. I dont think I am so special. Maybe kind of crazy thats at least the reaction I get off most people. People think I must have some sort of death wish, but that is not the case at all. I only take calculated risks. He hopes he can be an inspiration to others. In the past, one of my reasons for doing this was to show people that I could do it, despite my disabil- ity but I passed that stage three years ago and I guess Im now trying to prove a point to myself, he said. It would be nice if other people with dis- abilities saw this film and were motivated. BY MILES ERWIN v1 index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html