When it was suggested that visually impaired people trial this new Britannia Way, of the Via Francigena, I hadn’t perceived that meant me! Aged 52 and never walked so far in my life , I walked,  jumped and staggered  my way through London and into Kent with my faithful butler.  Stopping to take in the beauty of our countryside and kindness of so many people made the first 60 miles bearable.

Aquabats provides sports and recreational activities for blind and partially sighted people . 

Losing sight of any degree is stressful, isolating and completely changes your life. My life suddenly changed just before my 21st birthday.  After taking some prescribed antibiotics I suffered from a severe toxic shock resulted in me being placed in ITU for two weeks whilst the toxins attacked every part of my body.  Doctors had to ask for a photo of me to see what I had looked like before the trauma.  After a further six  weeks, in St Thomas’s Hospital, I finally,  returned home.   The condition I contracted is called, Stephenn Johnson Syndrme.  Due to the reaction I lost the epithelial lining of my eyes which meant I could no longer produce tears and the surface of my eyes became scarred.However, this didn’t  stop me  from going on to be a mother of two, beautiful boys and more recently, a grandmother of an equally beautiful granddaughter.  After enduring years of struggle walking 84 miles didn’t phase me! I would  like to raise a reasonable  amount of money, to support the voluntary work of Aquabats and encourage other people, going through sight-loss, to  try to remain positive.