Every 15 minutes, someone in the UK starts to lose their sight. In 1989, it was me.

30 years ago I first encountered sight problems, and in November 1989, I made my debut at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London. Over 400 appointments and 14 operations later I want to thank the brilliant teams at Moorfields, from the Uveitis and Glaucoma clinics, to the professors, consultants, doctors, nurses, scanners, photographers, and everyone else involved, for their continued amazing care.

One day, when I was 26 years old, I woke up within an hour and a half my sight was completely gone. I don’t know the trigger or the cause – it’s one of life’s mysteries. I was eventually diagnosed with Eales Disease, a rare eye condition resulting from abnormal hormone growth of the retina, which causes inflammation and haemorrhaging. 

Although I was officially registered blind in 1991, with my 'when life kicks you, you kick back harder' attitude, I've tried to live each day to the full. It's not always been easy, but with the professionalism and positive outlook of those at Moorfields, I’ve not let my sight hold me back and have thrown myself into everything from skiing to sailing, paragliding to husky sledding, windsurfing to endurance swimming; I’ve completed half marathons and performed in dance shows and amateur dramatics - including The Producers and Spamalot (I prefer the comedies!); and I have also previously cycled down the river Nile and across Rajasthan in India. 

I want to mark the occasion of three decades of brilliant care (and to thank all those who provided me with tea during my waiting hours!), by raising funds for marvellous Moorfields, cycling from Tanzania to Zanzibar in Sub-Saharan Africa with Classic Challenges, from 16-24 November 2019. I will be celebrating and cycling on a tandem with my son, James (26), to whom Africa holds a close place in his heart, having lost his best friend Ebuka from Nigeria when he was 15 years old, and in who’s memory he cycled across the Sinai Desert and climbed Mount Sinai in 2009. You'll be glad to hear that James will be at the front! I may also be doing some peddling, not that he'll know....

Moorfields does exceptional work for huge numbers of people, and I've been grateful for their commitment & support for the past three decades. Since first being diagnosed I haven’t waited for a miracle cure & have embraced life's challenges. I don't consider myself "dis-abled", but "dif-abled", where in order to achieve the same result, I simply need to approach things differently to that of a sighted person. If a cure does happen, then it happens, however, with amazing advances in technology, funded by events like these, who knows what the future may hold for people with sight problems!

We would be hugely grateful for your support as the 2 Ts (James as 'G&T' & myself as 'Cream Tea') undertake our Tanzanian Tandem Tour!

We will be doing updates on our training to keep you all updated/entertained!

Thank you,

Clare & James