The Challenge:

On 11 September 2022 I will be joined by my son Joe to take on my latest fundraising challenge – the London to Brighton Cycle.

This  challenge will see me put my complete trust in Joe as he pilots our tandem across 56 miles of roadways.

“Why?” you may ask.  To raise vital funds for a charity that gave me my life back after losing my sight.

My journey with Blind Veterans UK:

At the age of 37, having served almost 20 years in the Army's Royal Logistics Corps, I had to take early retirement as a result of a condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa, which severely affects the sight as it breaks down the cells that make up the Retina – the part of the eye that sends information to the
brain and enables you to see.

When I was discharged in 2010 my life fell apart, I felt like I'd lost everything and failed my family.  I started to drink heavily, which resulted in depression.  I pushed family and friends away.

Early in 2011 I was referred to Blind Veterans UK - a charity that specialises in providing support, rehabilitation and equipment to blind and visually impaired service people to help them rebuild their lives after sight loss.

I’ll be honest – on my first visit to their Brighton Center I wanted to get out as quick as possible and called Angela (my wife) to come and get me. 
Her response was “If you come home, you’re on your own”.  Those words – combined with the warm welcome
of the team there and being surrounded by other veterans with the same sense of humour and in the same position as me helped change my mindset.  I became determined to take the support I was being offered and work at getting my life back. 
And as time went on and my confidence grew – I did.

In 2015 I took part in my first run for Blind Veterans UK and never looked back.  To date I’ve taken part in many marathons and Ultra Walks - The London Landmarks Marathon, The Surrey Hills Challenge, Blind Veterans UK’s 100K Challenge and the London Marathon to name but a few.  To date I’ve run over 9,000 miles for Blind Veterans UK.

Now its time for something new.

Pre- Covid I tried a triathlon – a great opportunity to try adding swimming or cycling to my fundraising arsenal.   started getting into Tandem Cycling. My son Joe was there supporting me and said, "Dad, that looked fun on the bike I'd love to do that".  We went to the New Forest a few weeks later, hired a tandem and off we went with Joe leading the way upfront.

Now here we are – getting ready to enter this challenge for Blind Veterans UK, the charity that saved
my life, my family and gave me hope.

Please help me give back by sponsoring us, sharing our Just Giving page on your socials and spreading the word about this amazing charity.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.