A coffee and cake event is set to help two local ladies go the extra mile for iSightCornwall as they prepare to take on the London Marathon.
Claire Parkyn and Rachel Simmonds will be running in the London Marathon in April as a guide and blind-runner pair to help raise money for the sight loss charity.
Already well into their training the runners are hoping to help boost their fundraising for the charity with a coffee afternoon in Indian Queens Victory Hall on Saturday, March 7.
All are welcome to drop into the hall between 12 noon and 3pm for a hot drink and some cake. There will also be a raffle and some refreshments available.
Rachel said: “Learning to run as a guided pair, where you’re tethered together, has been really challenging. I’ve had to keep Claire safe by describing every incline, tree branch and obstacle all whilst being out of breath so it was a dramatic learning curve but now we’re entering the final few months of training.”
Claire has Usher syndrome, which means she is hearing impaired and slowly going blind. At 37 years old she has little vision left other than some central vision. She relies on hearing aids and a white cane to move around safely.
She said: Not long ago, I wasn’t confident enough to run outside at all and now I’m running a marathon! We’ve had several incidents with signs, low branches, cows, dogs and lots more but as time has gone by we’ve improved. We wanted to run the marathon in aid of iSightCornwall because they are a wonderful charity who have supported me in the past. They make such a difference to many with eyesight issues and can be a huge support to them.”
All money raised at the coffee afternoon will go towards Claire and Rachel’s fundraising total, which currently stands at £762 out of £2,000. If anyone is unable to attend but would like to donate, click here to open their fundraising website in a new tab.
