Two friends have raised a fantastic £1,910.67 for iSightCornwall following a huge fundraising effort and the completion of a marathon.
In 2022, Nicola Vosper was left severely sight impaired following major surgery to remove a tumour. She has spent the year since adapting to the change and, with the help of family, friends and iSightCornwall, she has slowly regained her confidence to start running again, something which she used to enjoy so much.
To celebrate this Nic teamed up with friend Jane Stedman, who happily took on the role of Nic’s Guide Runner, to take on her first marathon since losing her sight – the Cornish Marathon – and if that wasn’t enough of a challenge the ladies also decided to use the opportunity to raise money for iSightCornwall.
Nic’s thoughts
Nic said: “This is my sixth marathon but my first since losing my sight. I am so lucky to be surrounded by brilliant people who encouraged and supported me every step of the way. We started with just doing a mile and then advanced from there, building up trust as runner and guide and learning how to run in a new way.
“Getting out and going for a run just picks me up, I feel miserable if I’m stuck indoors for days at a time and it’s been fantastic to be able to get out there and do something I enjoy. Hopefully, it can also show other people who might be nervous about running as a visually impaired person or even people who might think they can’t do the hobbies they used to love that it is more than possible, even if you have to do things in a different way.”
Marathon Day
Proudly wearing their iSightCornwall t-shirts, Nic and Jane finished the Cornish Marathon with a time of five hours, twelve minutes, and 45 seconds. Battling through heavy rain, avoiding obstacles, and working together the pair were supported by friends and family with Nic’s husband Fran jumping in and out of the race to act as another Guide Runner, Nic’s children holding up a homemade banner and cheering on the team as well as friends Gemma and Helen, who ran the marathon alongside the ladies as part of the support team, and Karen and John who delivered food and drink around the route and cheered them on.
Jane said: “It was a fantastic experience and Nic did brilliantly, absolutely smashing her target time. We had an amazing support team who kept us going and everyone around us helped out in some way.”
The running duo set themselves a target of £1,000 which they smashed thanks to the generosity of friends and family, local community groups and even the members of Bugle Blues Bowling Club which Nic attends.
