In October 1993 I lost my sight over the period of three weeks due to a rare condition. It has been one amazing adventure over the last 30 years… so it’s now time to celebrate my alternative 30th with a truly special fundraising challenge.

Next month, 30 years to the day I lost my sight, I will be taking part and running in the Glasgow to Edinburgh Ultra (a distance of 56 miles). I will be the first blind person to undertake this challenge, guided by my great friend David Mooney.

I’ve done a few charity endeavours over the years but this one will be very special indeed. Every penny being donated will go to the charity who gave me my life back, from my first guide dog Ike back in 1995 to my current guide dog Lincoln. Your donations will help Guide Dogs give a blind person here in the UK the active life I’ve been lucky to enjoy.

What makes this more special is that I am also doing this challenge in memory of my incredible friend Jim “Kirky” Kirk. I took up running seven years ago thanks to Kirky, who I ran the London Marathon and much more with. Sadly, Jim passed away after a heart attack last November and is missed each day dearly by everyone.

I’ll be thinking of Kirky every step of this 56 miles and running it in his memory.

Every penny that is kindly donated will mean so much to me and will help change lives. Thank you to everyone for their very kind support!

Almost two million people in the UK are living with sight loss that has a significant impact on their daily lives. Of those, around 180,000 rarely leave their homes alone and lead lonely, isolated lives.

Guide Dogs works for a world where people with sight loss are never left out of life, for a world where being blind or partially sighted is not what defines you. A world with enough support to make the challenges of sight loss no barrier to fulfilling hopes and dreams.