My name is Alex Patterson, 54 year old husband and dad of 2 teenage daughters. I was a Youth and Community Worker for over 20 years, but gave that up to look after our daughters. I had always intended to return to work when our daughters went to secondary school. However, my sight loss has prevented that from happening.

My sight started deteriorating during my mid 40s and I was diagnosed with Cone Rod Dystrophy in 2019. I am now registered as Severely Sight Impaired/blind. Bright lights/sunlight make it very difficult for me to see and they also cause me pain, as a result I wear dark glasses when outdoors or in brightly lit rooms. (I don't actually think I am Daredevil 😉)

I am unable to identify people and need them to speak or state who they are. This often creates a sense of isolation even in the midst of groups of people. I rarely travel outside my hometown alone as I lack confidence when on my own.

I have 3 reasons for doing this walk. The first being to support the ongoing work of Deafblind who have supported me on my sight-loss journey. The second reason is to highlight Pavement Parking and the final one is to highlight the issues of dogs being off-leads in public areas for various members of the community.

My older daughter Jana will be taking part in the walk with me as will James McVicker, Outreach Officer for Deafblind NI. Our target is £500, but any donations will be gratefully received.

Many thanks

Alex