Every day 250 people start to lose their sight. One in five people will live with sight loss in their lifetime. In the UK, more than 2 million people are living with sight loss. Of these, around 340,000 are registered as blind or partially sighted.

At Galloway’s, their mission is to enable people with a visual impairment to gain greater independence and minimise the effects of reduced vision.

My late grandmother, Hollie Pemberton, volunteered at Galloway's in Penwortham during the 1980s and beyond. She would spend time reading aloud to a group of visually challenged people before later being diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration herself in 2006.

Following her diagnosis, she routinely attended the charity's social groups and activities, which included archery, driving on the Samlesbury airfield, painting, and day courses at Chorley College. She also appreciated being read to, as she had done before with others. Galloway's also offered talking books and newspapers for her to listen to in her spare time.

Galloway's supplied small visual aids, guidance, and testing for her macular degeneration. She continued to attend until she relocated north in 2018 to be closer to her family, who would support her. She was able to live freely until the age of 98 because of Galloway's help and support, before passing away peacefully aged 99 years and 3 months in 2023.

It's a fantastic opportunity to give back to a charity that supported my grandmother in her senior years. Raising funds for Galloway's so that they can continue to create positive change for blind and partially sighted people is a tremendous honour. It means a lot to be able to give back to a charity that helped and supported my grandmother amongst many other individuals for numerous years.

I welcome and thank you for any support you can provide in my quest to train for and complete the 2025 TCS London Marathon.