Zoe's page

Zoe Cleghorn is raising money for Fight for Sight

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Thank for visiting my page! I'm running the London Marathon on 24th April 2016 to raise money for Fight For Sight.

I have never done a marathon before so I'm terrified but I'm also looking forward to the challenge. It will be physically demanding and emotionally exhausting however I am so dedicated to putting myself through it to raise money for what is a brilliant charity.

I am friends with the Salisbury family who are one of the kindest and funniest families I have ever met. Emma has dedicated years of her life to raising money for Fight For Sight as her son Tommy was diagnosed in 2005 with a rare eye condition called Choroideremia which means that slowly over the next 30 years his eye sight will deteriorate until blindness.

In 2011, as a result of the money raised by Emma and her family, the first worldwide clinical trial took place to stop any further deterioration. To date around 20 men have taken part in the trial with amazing results. There is still a lot of work to do in getting this treatment passed by the department of health and ready for Tommy.

Fight For Sight do not receive a penny of government funding and it's their incredible supporters that help them in their fight against sight loss. Every year the charity invites applications for research grants. They're able to fund just 15-20% of the 90 or so applications they receive throughout the year. To help with the selection process and make sure they're funding the programmes of the highest standards and most worldwide potential, every application is put through a rigorous selection process. They are scrutinised by a peer review panel, the charity's own scientists and international leaders in relevant fields.

Every 5 seconds someone in the world goes blind

Every day 100 people in the UK start to lose their sight

Almost 2 million people in the UK are living with significant sight loss. The number is predicted to rise to around 2.3 million by 2020 and almost 4 million by 2050

Around 360,000 people in the UK are registered blind or partially sighted

An estimated 25,000 children in Britain are blind or partially sighted

86% of people in the UK value their sight above any other sense

Sight loss can affect people of any age but the likelihood increases as you get older: One in five people over 70 are living with sight loss

Black and Asian people are at greater risk of some of the leading causes of sight loss

Fight for Sight has committed £25 million to eye research since 2005

Just stop and think for a minute what it would be like if you or a loved one lost your eye sight.

I would be so grateful for any donations towards such a great cause. For me, training for and doing a marathon is far from an easy task and your generosity and support would be so greatly appreciated.

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. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.