Hello there,

Our names are Steve, Eva and Danny - Together we are ‘Blindly Following Dreams’.

We were a fairly normal family with a pretty run of the mill life, except for our taste for adventure. These adventures were all the usual things like hiking, camping, climbing etc.

Then suddenly in October 2023 our life was turned upside down. A bit of distortion in Steve’s vision signalled the start of a traumatic and unexpected medical diagnosis that will most likely ultimately lead to him going completely blind.

For the entirety of 2024 we attended appointment after appointment and Steve underwent seemingly endless surgeries. Our lives completely stopped!

Fast forward to the beginning of 2025 and Steve had lost the majority of his vision but the eye was currently stable. We decided not to waste another year - Life is short, stuff happens.

So we are off, we’re doing something that we might never have done otherwise, we are turning this nightmare into an opportunity.

This July we will set off as a family on an EPIC road trip around Europe.

We are cycling and camping the whole way on specially adapted recumbent trikes all joined together with Eva as our Captain.

We aim to cover somewhere around 6000km through 10 Countries - UK, Holland, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovenian, Croatia, Montenegro, Italy and France.

We were not intending to do it as a charity ride (it was just something personal for us) but we have received such enthusiasm to donate from our friends and family that we decided it would be almost selfish not to utilise this trip for something good.

When choosing the charity to support I thought of the usual suspects (RNIB or Guide Dogs) but the charity that has personally provided me the most support is a small local charity called OpenSight.

They have carried out home visits to show me equipment and talk me through services I can access, they arranged an expo that introduced me to even more services and equipment providers and they continue to provide through social groups that are important for so many…

About the charity:

At OpenSight, we are dedicated to empowering people living with a vision impairment across Hampshire to lead independent, fulfilling lives. Our mission is to provide tailored support, advice, and activities that help individuals of all ages overcome challenges and embrace opportunities. Your fundraising will enable us to expand our vital services, from early years support for children to practical guidance for working-age adults and social clubs for older people. Building confidence and empowering lives together!