My Challenges

I have worked for Sight Life for 33 years and it's an organisation that is close to my heart. I'm very passionate about how we provide support and help people with sight loss. Through my own personal journey as a registered blind person and my professional career, I know how this is vitally important to enable people with sight loss to live a fulfilled life.

As Sight Life enters its 160th year and launches Challenge 160, I've decided to take on a different challenge of my own each month for the next 12 months, aiming to raise at least £160 for each one.

I'm also inviting 55 other people to either join me or take on their own challenges so that, together, we can raise £8,800 for this amazing charity to continue providing vital services.

My challenges are:

1 - A 4,478m climb: Between April and July I will be doing this through climbing mountains and using an indoor climbing machine.

2 - May - As a former world, european and international judo champion, I am continuing my passion of sport during May, by taking part in six VI sports that have evolved since the Victorian era. These including blind tennis baseball, rifle shooting, surfing, bowls & archery.

3 - June - Speed of Sight: This will be an exhilarating opportunity to drive at 70+mph around a race track in Llandow.

4 - July - Tank driving: I will be undertaking a day course to learn how to drive an army tank as well as to assemble machine guns. This is not a challenge for the feint-hearted when you can't see what you're doing!

5 - August - Coastline swim: I will be taking on a cold-water swim along Whitmore Bay in Barry Island from Marco's Cafe to the end of the beach huts.

6 - September - I will be sailing the Solent for a week under the supervision of the Visually Impaired Sailing Association.

7 - October - White Cane Day sponsored walk. This will be, approximately, a six-mile coastal walk from Swansea Marina down to Caswell Bay.

8 - November - I will learn to play a song on a brass instrument ready to perform at the Members' Christmas Party in early December. I have never picked up in my life before and currently only play the recorder very badly!

9 - December - I will not eat any cakes for the whole of December. Anyone who knows me and my love of cakes will know how difficult this will be.

10 - January - To celebrate my birthday on January 27th, I will cook a 3-course dinner for the 6-people who have sponsored me the most. As a blind person, this will be a huge challenge as I usually struggle to even get the food on the plate, let alone create and serve a three course meal for multiple people.

11 - February - Learn how to sing Calon Lan to perform on St David's Day to the members. This traditional Welsh song was written in the Garw Valley, which is where I was born and bred but as I currently do not speak any Welsh, it will be an interesting challenge!

12 - March - Carrying on the theme of being one of Wales' 100 most inspirational women since 1918, I will be doing some inspirational events and talks to round off my year of challenges. Watch this space for details!

I'm really grateful for your support and help to achieve all of this over the next 12 months. Thank you!

The Importance of the work Sight Life does

43% of people with sight loss have significant depressive symptoms.

For the last 160 years, Sight Life's work has been making a meaningful impact in the lives of local blind and partially sighted people when they need us the most.

In our recent survey, 90% of our Service Users told us that they felt less isolated and lonely, 80% felt more independent and 74% were more active and healthier as a result of our work.

We want to keep supporting and evolving the services we offer for the next 160 years but we need your support!

Raising just £160 for Sight Life will allow us to visit a Service User at home to provide essential advice to ensure they can continue to live independently; provide a bespoke session on how to successfully manage living with sight loss and reduce the isolation it imposes; and also run a social group that can become a life-line to our Service Users and gives them a reason to leave home.

The money you raise matters. Thank you for helping us make a difference!