Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

As you know one is "in training" to try and cross the finish line at the 2016 London Marathon. I feel extremely honoured to have been given this opportunity and will take my place on the starting line on 24th April 2016 for Guide Dogs UK. 

This all come about because  as a family we made a decision to sponsor a guide dog. We sponsor Rio and we receive regular updates from #GuideDogsUK. Our monthly contributions assist with the necessary training in order to make Rio a fully working guide dog and who will make a difference to a blind or visually impaired person. 

There is however, a personal story behind this ......

From a very young age it was very clear that my eyesight wasn't quite right. With the help of staff at Plymouth  Royal Eye Infirmary, I was very quickly diagnosed with a squint, astigmatism, double vision and my prescription (to attempt to rectify my visual deficits) was off the scale.

I wore a patch for most of my primary school years, have had 3 operations and was bullied during my senior school years because my parents couldn't afford for me to have non NHS prescribed frames and my lenses were so thick they were like milk bottle bottoms!

Thankfully this has all changed now and the NHS offer a wide variety of frames for children and teenagers.

With the help of technology and advances in the production of contacts lenses I am able to manage my visual deficits with prescribed gas permeable lenses during the day and specs that have thinned glass on removal of the lenses. 

So my personal visual impairments gave me the drive and motivation to submit my application. Along side this I was ready for a life changing achievement.

So the next steps for me, is to continue with my training to able to put me a a position where I have I have the stamina and fitness to complete this race.

In order to keep me motivated and focussed I kindly ask for your support and  a donation to enable me to achieve my £2,000 target for #GuideDogsUK. It doesn't matter how big or small as every penny makes a difference. 

Some facts for you to consider before you consider before donating:

The average working life of a guide dog is five to six years.
There are nearly 4,800 guide dog owners in the UK.
Guide Dogs are currently responsible for around 8,000 dogs.
More than 1,300 guide dog pups are breed each year.
The guide dog service receives no government funding and depends entirely upon public support.
It costs £5 per day to support each working guide dog partnership.
The lifetime cost of a guide dog is around £50,000.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story. I hope to provide updates of my journey for you all to see

Lots of love Claire xxx