GIVE him a civic reception and make him a freeman of the borough of Newport. People have been knighted for less than what Richard Parks has just achieved.

A guy who as far as I know had never before climbed Mount Twmbarlwm at the back of where he lives has gone completely berserk and reached the summit of the highest mountains on each of the world's continents AND scaled both poles - all in less than seven months.

Such a feat has never been attempted before, never mind achieved, by even the world's acknowledged great climbers.

But the conqueror is an ex-rugby player who was a mountaineering novice. Parks reached the top of the South Pole, Vinson, Aconvagua, Kilimanjaro, Carstensz Pyramid, the North Pole, Mount Everest, Denali and finally Elbrus in six months, 11 days, seven hours and 53 minutes.

What an ironman - madman some would say! But he's done it and Welsh rugby, never mind the borough of Newport ought to feel proud to have such a sporting giant in their midst.

The Welsh Rugby Union were among the first to honour Parks as they sent out messages of congratulations.

Something more tangible is sure to be on its way and we can all expect to see him feted during next month's World Cup warm-up internationals.

Hopefully the WRU are working on something right now for the former Newport and Newport Gwent Dragons flanker who was forced to give up rugby because of a shoulder injury.

What was to become of him then? Live the quiet life? Maybe revert to the dentistry he started out on as a possible career a decade earlier? Travel the world for a while perhaps?

Well he did that all right, but not in the conventional way.

As a wind-down from his rugby career he only decided to climb all the world's biggest mountains and put himself through the pain barrier and then some more just for the hell of it.

The only problem now for Parks is what does he do with the rest of his life?

What does he attempt for an encore? Swim the world's oceans? Fly solo around the globe?

And it should be remembered he has done all this in aid of the Marie Curie Cancer Care charity, which happens to be one of a number I support.

It should benefit by around £1m. And so it should after this unbelievable achievement. Richard Parks - some guy.