On the 14 February 2013, I woke up and realised that I had lost some of my vision. By the end of the week, I was totally blind in one eye and have 5% tunnel vision in the left eye. My life changed very dramatically, very suddenly. Without the support from Guide Dogs and my first Guide Dog Vader and second guide dog Wispa, I would be living in isolation and totally dependent on others. Wispa is nearing the end of her working life and will probably retire sometime in 2026.

In gratitude the the huge difference that guide dogs have made to my life, I have signed up to run the 2026 London Marathon. I have been learning to run with a Guide Runner, Neilie Johnstone has kindly volunteered to assist me in my venture. He will be guiding me in my training and in the marathon.

Almost two million people in the UK are living with sight loss that has a significant impact on their daily lives. Of those, around 180,000 rarely leave their homes alone and lead lonely, isolated lives.

Guide Dogs works for a world where people with sight loss are never left out of life, for a world where being blind or partially sighted is not what defines you. A world with enough support to make the challenges of sight loss no barrier to fulfilling hopes and dreams.