Welcome!

Firstly, thank you for visiting my fundraising page “1 Vision, 2 Give Sight... 3 Peaks To Run”.

My name is Jessica Chatwin, a second year Optometry student at Anglia Ruskin University. As someone who embraces and is passionate about any challenge put before them, I have decided to take on a fundraising challenge that has direct relevance to my course, interests and aspirations- to run the Yorkshire 3 Peaks (25 miles and 5202ft of ascent) for the charity Optometry Giving Sight.

At present, there are approximately 670 million people worldwide who are blind or visually impaired just because they don’t have access to an eye examination or a pair of glasses. This lack of vision care is particularly a problem in developing countries, made even more so by the fact that in these countries agriculture and manual labour are the main forms of employment, for which visual impairment can be debilitating and often renders the individual unemployable. For this reason I feel it necessary to show my support to Optometry Giving Sight who tackles this issue head on by providing long term, sustainable solutions.

However, running the 3 peaks is not only to raise funds for sustainable, quality vision care through Optometry Giving Sight but to also raise awareness of avoidable blindness to local communities, optometry practices and optometry schools throughout the UK.

From a young age I have regularly ventured to the Yorkshire Dales to go hiking and caving and therefore feel a strong connection with its powerful yet serene landscape. Consequently, there is no better place for me to take on a challenge for Optometry Giving Sight than the Yorkshire Dales and no better challenge than the infamous Yorkshire 3 peaks themselves- a run that has been a great aspiration of mine for some time.

Prior to running all 3 peaks on 24 March 2013, I intend to run 1 peak each month as part of my training, taking place on the following dates:

30/12/12- Pen-y-ghent (start: Horton-in-Ribblesdale, finnish: Ribblehead viaduct)

12/01/13- Whernside (start: Ribblehead Viaduct, finnish: Hill Inn)

23/02/13- Ingleborough (start: Hill Inn, Chapel-le-dale, finnish: Horton- in-Ribblesdale)

Finally, on behalf of myself and Optometry Giving Sight, all donations for my 3 peaks challenge will be very much appreciated, big or small and can be made via my fundraising page. Updates on my training progress can be seen here and at http://www.threepeakschallenge.net/8047/1-vision-2-give-sight-3-peaks-to-run.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.