Yorkshire daredevil with prosthetic leg takes part in circus act - as a high wire performer

Brave Nathan Bland, 24, who has a prosthetic left leg and no toes on his right foot, pulled off the death-defying act atop the 65ft (20m) cable on Wednesday (June 28). He had no plans to take part in the terrifying routine until he visited a touring Circus, in Halifax,and was asked to perform by a staff.

Nathan wasn't able to "feel" the half-an-inch wide cable with his prosthetic leg, and the team at Circus Extreme feared he would struggle with his balance. But after a few days of training, he made his "epic" debut on the 40ft long wire in front of hundreds, where he performed with a clown over the course of 20 minutes.

Nathan, who lost his leg after it was badly mangled in a machine at a recycling plant, called the stunt a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

The high wire performer said: "It was epic. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It was absolutely amazing. I had lots and lots of adrenaline, and I was trying not to be scared of the height. If you get up there and you are scared, then it's very hard to come down.

"The team thought I would struggle to balance without any toes on my other foot. But when I did it, they couldn't believe it. Before the accident, I was very sporty, and I used to teach kids archery and running during activity days. I had a very active life. I have a prosthetic leg due to a work accident, but that doesn't bother me I still do everything."

Nathan, from Halifax, lost his leg on November 26, 2019, while working in a recycling plant near his home, when he was asked to unclog a bailing machine. He jumped on the machine to try and dislodge the material before it suddenly whirred into action and took his leg "clean off" along with the toes on his right foot.

He said: "I thought the machine was set to manual but it was actually set to automatic, and it took my leg clean off. The adrenaline kicked in and I didn't know what was happening. I just felt like I was in another world, and I was rushed to hospital.

"The surgeons tried to re-attach it during an operation, but after four hours, the blood flow was stopping and starting, and they had to re-amputate it. It was very strange when I woke up, not knowing that I had only got one leg. It all happened quite fast."

Nathan stayed in the hospital for just under a month before he was released and fitted with a prosthetic in February 2020. Last Saturday (June 24), he decided by chance to watch a performance by the touring group Circus Extreme with his nephew, in Halifax.

He was later invited to the VIP area before the staff asked if he would like to take part in the high wire act.

Nathan said: "When I was talking to one of the clowns, he said 'Would you like to do the high wire' and I said, 'I'm up for anything.'"

Nathan was initially concerned that he wouldn't be able to walk along the tiny cable, but after a few attempts, he left the performers impressed with his skills.

He said: "I started off on a lower wire, which was still quite high up. I was being coached by the clown, Henry, who taught me to put one foot in front of the other. Then they put me in harness and winched me up to the top of the high wire, and I was walking behind Henry as he went along.

"It was a little bit difficult because I can't feel the rope with my prosthetic. It made me a bit wary of where I was putting my feet. But I loved it."

Nathan plans to attend the LimbPower Games in July for disabled athletes and hopes to compete in the Paralympic Games in the future.