I am riding the Liverpool-Chester-Liverpool bike ride in TeamStPauls to raise money for the St Paul's Research Foundation. I am not just riding any bike, but a quad tandem called LUCY. That's 4 of us on two wheels!

St Paul's Research Foundation does a fantastic job funding research into sight-threatening and LIFE-threatening eye diseases. St Paul's Research Foundation funded some of my early research into the eye changes in cerebral malaria in kids in Africa. It does this pump-priming really well, so researchers can conduct initial studies and obtain proof-of-principle. This can strengthen grant applications to bigger funders, and I have now been able to obtain 4 year funding from The Wellcome Trust to use eye signs to identify children with cerebral malaria who are most at risk.

In the UK there are currently 2.5 million people living with sight loss; every six minutes someone is told they are going blind. A recent report looking into the impact of sight loss found that 2 in 5 people of those that responded experienced anxiety and depression related to their sight loss. 1 in 4 said their sight loss has a negative impact on their personal relationships. 1 in 3 were struggling financially. At St Paul's and the associated university Dept of Eye and Vision Science we are researching all aspects of eye disease, from early detection, to better treatments, and psychosocial impacts. By joining #TeamStPauls I hope to help people affected by sight loss now and into the future. Thank you