PLEASE NOTE: William is about to re start his training on the paddle board on Loch Tay and will prepare over the winter for his endeavour to reach his goals, which may well also include a 17 mile trek around the Loch itself in a single day. We thank 'Help See The Blind's' team of supporters and we will post updates shortly. Any sponsorship or sponsors will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for visiting my page.

Before you read this, close your eyes and sit quietly. Then, see if you can walk without bumping into walls or even try turning on the TV without looking. You can do all these things without thinking if you have sight. Now, open your eyes and read this. You have witnessed how important sight is and now know why your support is so important for helping the blind.

I am blind and am going to try to paddleboard 1km standing up blindfolded as fast as I can on Loch Tay to gain a World Record and prove that I can do this without sight. I also want to raise money to help the blind access the support they need through ’Help See the Blind’. I have to be blindfolded as the Guinness World Record team do not recognise disability and blindness can vary from person to person and need me to prove that I cannot see.

I hope to complete this challenge so that I can give back to blind charities, many of which are in desperate need of funds because of the Coronavirus pandemic. This pandemic has impacted on all our lives. This crisis is one of the worst challenges the blind community has faced, adding to anxiety and depression, and making even carrying out basic shopping during lockdown and the subsequent restrictions difficult. This has meant many blind people, of which there are about 2.5million in the UK today, have had to rely on support from volunteers or have spent too much time on their own, isolated and unsupported. Employment is even harder to gain if you are blind too.

When I was diagnosed with Stargardt’s disease at the age of 9, I was devastated and felt hopeless, becoming withdrawn and depressed and it was not easy for me at school. It was the efforts of The Scottish Crannog Centre that helped me back up because they saw me as able as opposed to disabled, and this support inspired me and got me through to where I am today. But such help and encouragement can be hard to find and ‘Help See the Blind’ aims to make it easier for the blind community to find what they need and connect with each other. Together with my family, I am trying to raise the funds needed for the completion of a new e-portal service which is being built at www.helpseetheblind.co.uk. This will help the blind, their families and their carers to find their way more easily around society, buy and access services, learn new skills, find jobs and communicate. This will also help reduce health issues faced by the blind community.

My father is now slowly losing his sight too, and although he feels he should be the one to support me, I want to show him and the millions of others in the UK who are blind, partially-sighted or have started to lose sight, that being blind doesn’t mean the end: it just means you have to try things in a different way. Also, the blind can put their hand to anything. This is my message to all blind people.

Like so many others, my Dad and I may not be able to see the next generation, but as the lights go down on sight, our other senses will enable us to experience this in other ways. But the blind need your help to get the support they need.

Your donation will help connect more people who are struggling to cope with blindness or potential sight loss with the services they need. For example, £100 could pay for two hours of therapy and independent living skills training. But every pound helps and so please give what you can.

I hope to raise at least the £25,000 required to kick-start this fantastic cause so please give what you can to help me hit my target.

Thank you.

Losing your sight, like for so many others, is something neither my dad nor myself thought would happen. Please help us see the light within the darkness and donate what you can.

Will is supporting: www.helpseetheblind.co.uk

Will is training for this exciting challenge with the support of David Fox-Pitt MBE, founder of WildFox Events Ltd, and pro-SUP boarder Ross Dempster of Beyond Adventure , Aberfeldy.

https://helpseetheblind.co.uk/guinness-world-record/