We have proudly reached our £7,000 fundraising target with an absolute massive thank you to every single one of you who have donated, participated in our events and supported us along our journey. This means that we have raised enough funds to not only name our own guide dog puppy, it will also pay for the first year of it’s vital training to then go on and change a life!

The name we have chosen is Amber, Subject to Guide Dogs approval.

We will receive updates every so often and we would like to invite you to join us as we follow our pups journey of becoming a guide dog.
Updates will be posted on
Facebook - www.facebook.com/NathanEdge94
Twitter - www.twitter.com/NathanAndPete

This page is now closed for donations however if you would like to continue your support, please visit the following link.

www.justgiving.com/NathanEdge94


IMPORTANT UPDATE
Unfortunately, on Monday 29th February, the guys were hugely disappointed to have to announce their withdrawal from the London Marathon due to Nathan having potential cartilage damage in the knee. The guys had hoped that Pete could be transferred over to run in Nathan’s place as a solo runner however the timing of events was not in their favour as the London Marathon token deadline had past, which meant the transfer wasn’t possible. Of course, this was devastating for the pair who have worked so hard to get to where they are but they would both like to thank you all for your incredible support over the last year of their journey. The marathon dream might be over for now, however the dream of reaching that £7,000 fundraising target for Guide Dogs is still a possibility and the guys aren’t giving up now. Please help them along with their final push for their fundraising goal.


Thank you for visiting our JustGiving page.

For those who don’t know me, my name’s Nathan Edge, 21, from Mansfield Nottinghamshire. In February 2014 my life was plunged in to complete darkness as I lost all of my sight over the space of two days. This came exactly 14 years after I was diagnosed with an eye disease called Uveitis which incredibly developed through having severe Juvenile Chronic Arthritis in my left knee a year earlier at the age of 5. Losing all of my sight at just 19 years of age was something that I never expected to have to deal with, it hit me hard and of course it was difficult for family and friends who could see the impact this was having on my life. After weeks of not being able to look out of my window and see the sky, trees, buildings, grass, and not being able to see the faces of my relatives and friends, and realising that my hobbies, passions and career ambitions had just been ripped away from my life, I began to give up. I felt I had no future and I was struggling to accept that I will never see again. 

Thankfully after just a few difficult months, I realised that I had the best thing possible to get me through this... I had my guide dog “Hudson”. Luckily for me, Hudson came in to my life in October 2013, 4 months before losing the rest of my sight. Hudson was there for me, by my side constantly throughout those difficult months of my life. I knew that with him, with the support of my family, friends and the other services Guide Dogs could offer, I knew I could get through it and with a lot of hard work and determination, that’s exactly what I did. 

Thanks to Guide Dogs my life is going from strength to strength, I’m doing more with my life than I ever thought possible and I have my independence. This is why on the 24th April 2016, I will be taking on the biggest challenge of my life by running the London marathon with my guide runner Pete Jones-Hall to raise as much money as I can for Guide Dogs and to help them continue to change peoples lives, the same as they changed mine.

Pete, 44, from Nottingham and myself began our training together in November 2014 after he registered as a My Guide volunteer. Pete, being blind in one eye himself, has a passion for helping sight loss charities and spent last year raising money for Blind Veterans UK who helped him deal with his sight loss as a 27 year old, whilst serving in the RAF.

My Guide is another amazing service provided by Guide Dogs which allows people with a visual impairment like me get out and about and reach their goals. Read more about the My Guide Service here…
https://www.guidedogs.org.uk/services/my-guide/#.VVpPUM4UqFI


Below are the dates of the races, fundraisers & events we will be attending in the build up to London 2016. Check back here for updates on what’s happening. You can also follow our progress on Twitter! @NathanAndPete.

If you have any questions about any of the following dates, have any events you’d like us to attend or if you’d like to fundraise for us, please feel free to email me : Nathan.Edge10@gmail.com or Pete at blindpete1971@gmail.com

Events

Tuesday 2nd June 2015 - Nathan's 21st Birthday.. 
This year for his birthday, Nathan requested donations in place of birthday gifts. His party was fantastic with entertainment provided by X-Factor finalist Peter Jones out of Two To Go and Steve the hypnotist. This also saw another £450 going to Guide Dogs. Thank you everyone.

Sunday 21st June 2015 - Sport in the Port 10k.
TES (Pete’s wife) accepted one of our blindfold challenges and bravely stepped forward to run the Sport in the Port 10k blindfolded. This gave Tez the opportunity to experience what it’s like for blind runners during races and this was also Pete’s first race as a guide runner which proved to be a great taster of what’s to come. Thankfully the run was a huge success and didn’t result in a divorce. TES also managed to raise over £100 in sponsors. Thanks Tez.

Saturday 27th June - Mascot Race, Trent Bridge
This technically was the first race for the guys and what a way to kick it off. Trent Bridge, in front of 11,000 spectators during the interval of a Notts T20 cricket match, the guys went head to head with the Notts Outlaws mascot Nuts the squirrel in a short sprint. It was a close one but the win was somewhat controversially handed to Nathan and Pete!
Take a watch and decide who were the winners for yourself…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqcMbvv1n2Y

Sunday 12th July - Notfast 10k, Newark.
This was the first step up from Parkrun to a 10k race for Nathan and Pete and they crossed the finish line with a very respectable time of 55 minutes. This race will most likely be remembered for the fantastic photo capturing the final sprint where Pete is overcome with emotion and is visibly shouting in delight as they approach the finish.

Saturday 15th August - Hypnotist at Mansfield Town Football Club.
After blowing the audience away earlier in the year at Nathan’s 21st birthday party, Steve the hypnotist returned for another night of side splitting laughter raising another £310. Big thank you to Mansfield Town Football club for providing the fabulous Kevin Birds Suite for the nights entertainment.

Saturday 22nd August 2015 - Tracey Stent’s coffee morning.
Tracey, who is Nathan’s nurse and is usually the person responsible for causing him a little pain by taking his blood tests decided that she also wanted to help with fundraising and organised a coffee morning which she hosted at her lovely home. There was an absolutely fantastic turn out on a gorgeous day and Nathan along with his guide dog Hudson were invited along to first of all dive in to the cakes and to also share his story with the guests. The event raised a whopping £420! Thanks Tracey and family.

Sunday 23rd August 2015 - Mansfield 10k.
Nathan and Pete’s second 10k race and what a race it was! It was a boiling hot day, a surprisingly hilly course and Pete was recovering from a touch of the man flu, yet despite that, the guys finished with an awesome time of 50:44! This was a new personal best for the guys and incredibly a personal best for Pete as a solo runner too! Superb local support as well.

Saturday 5th September 2015 - Guide Dogs Blind Drive at Donington Race Track.
The guys placed the running trainers to one side and put themselves behind a wheel at the Guide Dogs Nottingham Mobility Team’s annual blind drive. It was a terrific day as Pete got to experience driving without sight and Nathan had the opportunity to speed along Donnington for a second consecutive year.
You can view both Nathan and Pete’s blind drive by clicking the links below.

Nathan’s drive - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0-51IaTHY4
Pete’s drive - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldH4d7ho-fU

Sunday 13th September - Caroline Rye takes on the Great North Run
Caroline first met Pete and Nathan at Mansfield Parkrun. She is a keen photographer and didn't have her running shoes on that day. Wowed by what they do, she has since made it a commitment to herself to follow their progress and photograph the journey to the marathon. She is also keen to educate her children more about the effect blindness can have on someone's life. They now cheer along Pete & Nathan at events with their toy guide dog pups

Her journey also involves running as well though and has rarely asked for sponsorship for any events but after learning more and more about what Guide Dogs do, she chose to fundraise for us and asked those to dig deep for her attempt at the Great North Run. Caroline managed to raise a brilliant £265! Thanks Cas!

Sunday 27th September - Robin Hood Half Marathon.
This was the duos first half marathon and was great practice running along with thousands of other runners. Nathan and Pete also had the pleasure of running along with two running buddies Lucy and Lyndsey. The guys finished with a time of 2hrs 13min.

Friday 30th October - Soul Night Returns (Mansfield Town Football Club)
Following the very successful event in 2014, the Soul and Motown night returned for a second year! The stunning brand new 1861 Suite played host to the night with yet another great turn out! Big thanks goes out to DJ’s Mick Edge, Yockie, Gigsy and Carl Piper for providing the entertainment and another big thank you to Mansfield Town Football Club for their continued support. A total of £650 was raised!

Wednesday 9th December 2015 - Guide Dogs Annual Awards.
Thanks to their supporters, family and friends, Nathan and Pete were shortlisted in to the top 3 finalists for the prestigious My Guide Partnership Award and were invited to the glamorous awards ceremony at The Hilton Park Lane in London. The night was a spectacular occasion for all involved and was topped off for the guys as their names were revealed from the envelope as the 2015 winners!

You can watch their short documentary here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et5A_niCCJg

Friday 18th December 2015 - Pete’s 24 Hour Blindfold Challenge.
Pete had done a few blindfold challenges before but he decided he wanted to take it one step further and put himself in to Nathan’s shoes for a whole 24 hours! Pete wanted to experience what his life would be like blind and therefor planned to do everything that he usually would do, but of course, he would be doing it without sight. From 3pm Friday to 3pm Saturday, Pete had a trip to the supermarket, an outing to the pub, ate Chinese takeaway, completed household chores and then finally his largest challenge, a 5k run at Mansfield Parkrun. Throughout his challenge Pete had Terri (his wife) as his trusty guide who did a superb job! To top off his incredibly brave achievement, another £100 was also raised in sponsors! Well done Pete.

Read the Nottingham Post article here…
http://www.nottinghampost.com/Good-Deeds-Notts-Basford-man-goes-blind-day/story-28446196-detail/story.html

Sunday 28th February 2016 - Brighton Half Marathon.
A race of highs and lows. The guys knew a lot was riding on this run. Unfortunately Nathan had been out due to injury for a few weeks leading up to this event which limited him to low impact cardio training in the gym whilst he received treatment. The injury was a complex one in the right knee and rest wasn’t doing the trick, so Nathan threw the last roll of the dice and tried the steroid injection in hope that it would relieve the pain and carry him through to London. The Brighton Half Marathon was going to be the decider on whether the injection worked.
Preparation for Pete was good. He had continued his training runs as usual and was feeling more than ready for his return to the east coast. Pete’s wife Terri was also joining the guys on this one as she had her own goals of achieving a good time after returning from injury herself.
Brighton is a very nice course to run, a fairly flat route with a great atmosphere along the way. Quite tough to guide though as there are a fair few sections where runners are compact in to one lane. Running conditions were almost perfect, it was very cool but most importantly, it was dry. Nathan and Pete got off to a good start, sticking around the 2 hour 15 minute pacer at a crowded start line whilst Terri shot off ahead on her own mission. The first mile was quite congested as expected but a nice surprise was in store for the guys as Pete spotted some other blind/guide runners ahead who were representing another charity very close to Pete’s heart, Blind Veterans. The guys eventually caught up with the other charity runners and had the opportunity for a quick chat whilst passing. Shortly after the guys were approaching what was in Nathan’s mind, the most crucial part of the run, the 4 mile mark. This was the point in Nathan’s training runs where the pain in the knee had usually kicked in. It was at this point where the guys would know if that steroid injection had worked as planned. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be so as the pain quickly appeared right on queue. This was easily the most upsetting part of the run, this was when Nathan knew that the marathon dream was over and he also knew that this also could be the last run he would have with Pete for some time, but realising those last two points were exactly the right motivation to get this half marathon done. The rest of the race was a real battle with the knee pain and in some ways, quite unusual as the pain disappeared, came back, disappeared again, came back 10 times worse and then finally disappeared for a good final stretch of the run until the finish.
Then if you ever needed an example of a bitter sweet situation, the guys have it for you. Not only had they finished against all odds, they also bagged themselves a new PB! Finishing with a time of 2:10:19. But of course, there would be no London Marathon.

Sunday 20th March - Ashby 20
Unfortunately neither of the guys were able to run this race as planned due to injury. Instead, Nathan along with Guide Dog Hudson assisted at the Guide Dogs Nottinghamshire’s 5/10K fun run and spent the day in the glorious sunshine collecting signatures for the Access All Areas campaign before heading out on a 5k walk with friends. Pete however still made it across to Ashby to welcome the guys good friend Lucy over the finish line.
Lucy Stephen is preparing for the London Marathon herself and is representing sight loss charity Henshaws. Lucy has joined Nathan and Pete on many training runs and in many races throughout the past year.
Read Lucy’s story here - http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LucyStephen

Saturday 16th April 2016 - 15mi walk from Notts County FC to Mansfield Town FC.
What a day!!!
Very similar to Nathan’s organised walk from Mansfield to Chesterfield in 2013, the day couldn’t have panned out any better.

It was a very early start for the 50+ walkers taking part as they met at Mansfield Town Football Club for 6am. It was a chilly morning, around 2 degrees centigrade with mixed snow and rain forecast for the rest of the day.

Mansfield Town FC kindly arranged to transport the walkers from the One Call Stadium to the Meadow Lane Stadium which was the start line by providing three mini buses, but in addition to that, Chairmen John Radford and directors Paul Broughton and Steve Middleton generously volunteered to be the ones to drive the buses to their destination.

Taking part in the walk was 13 representatives of the Orchared Medical Practice, 11 represantives of Cedar House and Smarties day nurseries and many other friends, family members and fellow Mansfield Town supporters, with a special mention to Steve Doubtfire, Joseph Doubtfire and Shane Harrison who set off at 2am walking double the distance making their way to Nottingham and then back covering over 30miles!

At around 12:15, 45 minutes before kick-off, many tired legs arrived at the One Call Stadium to a wonderful reception as the walkers made their way around the Field Mill turf for a lap of honour. Then just like in 2013, the boys in amber and blue topped off the day with an outstanding 5-0 victory over their nearest rivals! What a day!

The guys can also proudly announce that over £3,000 was raised through sponsorships for the walkers in this event alone! Massive thank you to everyone who took part and to everyone who kindly donated.

Blindfold Challenge Hall Of Fame
Pete Jones-Hall - 24 hours challenge.
Terri Jones-Hall - Sport in the Port 10k race.
Lyndsey Stevenson - 1k run at Mansfield Parkrun.
Ste Rye - 1K run at Mansfield Parkrun.
Caroline Rye - 1K run at Mansfield Parkrun.
Danni Turner - 1k run at Mansfield Parkrun.
Karen Smith - 1k run at Mansfield Parkrun.
Vicki Jackson - 1k run at Mansfield Parkrun.
Chloe Toyn - 1k run at Mansfield Parkrun.