David Mann, who has been blind all his life, will be celebrating his 80th birthday by cycling 80 kilometres in one day, on the back of a tandem, in order to raise funds for two charities close to his heart. With the support of his pilot mark and other friends, he will be riding from Lisburn, County Antrim, to Oxford Island, along the shores of Lough Neagh and back to Lisburn on Saturday, 29th august 2026, raising money for the Norrie disease Foundation.

“My grandson Micah, who is 14 years old, was born totally blind, due to an extremely rare genetic condition called Norrie Disease.

“As well as being blind, Micah faces many other challenges caused by the condition. He is autistic, has global developmental delay, learning difficulties, and epilepsy. But by far the scariest thing is that he will almost certainly begin to lose his hearing as well, and that could start at any time!

“Despite all the challenges and barriers he faces every day, he is one of the happiest children I know and he takes great joy in listening to sounds like birds, sirens and lawnmowers, as well as having a passion for music and playing the keyboard. Sound is his world. If he loses his hearing all that joy will be taken from him and he faces the prospect of slipping into a world of silent darkness. This is the terrifying reality for children with Norrie Disease.

“We desperately need to raise money for the Norrie Disease Foundation, and help to fund critical research into a treatment for the devastating hearing loss that affects people with Norrie Disease, like my grandson Micah, who are already blind.

“The Norrie Disease Foundation and Great Ormond Street Hospital Institute of Child Health are carrying out research into the specific hearing loss in Norrie Disease, in order to try and find a treatment. However, funding for these types of very rare diseases is incredibly hard to get. That is why we need your support.

“Any donations, no matter how small, will make a difference to the Norrie community and bring us a step closer to preventing the devastating hearing loss. Even if you are not able to donate, please share Micah’s story so we can reach more people. Thank you!”

I am also fundraising for another charity, Lisburn Outlook, which strives to combat social isolation and promote peer support amongst blind and partially sighted people in and around Lisburn, Co. Antrim, where I have lived for the past 30 years. If you would like to know more or donate to Lisburn Outlook, please visit my other JustGiving page via this link https://www.justgiving.com/page/david-mann-8080?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL

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.