A team of blind participants will undertake the Three Peaks Challenge on 16 August 2013 in aid of Blind in Business, a charity dedicated to helping blind and partially sighted people into work through training and employment services.
The team will include Daniel and Michael Smith, 21-year-old twin brothers from North London, who, whilst studying at university, lost their sight within a year of one another after developing a rare genetic condition called ‘Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy’ (LHON). Alan Lock is also set to join the team. Alan is a former Royal Navy Officer who has worked with Blind in Business for a number of years. In late 2003 he began to suffer from Macular Degeneration which rapidly destroyed much of his vision and cost him his military career. Despite this, Alan has completed 10 marathons including the 151 mile Marathon Des Sables in the Sahara Desert and in 2008, set a Guinness World Record, raising over $80,000 for charity when he became the first visually impaired person to row across the Atlantic Ocean.
The event is being organised and supported by Sight and Sound Technology, the UK’s leading provider of hardware and software for the blind, visually impaired and those with learning and reading difficulties. A team from Sight and Sound Technology will also be embarking on the Challenge.
Daniel and Michael said: “We are excited about embarking on this challenge. An integral part of our respective rehabilitations has been giving back to those who have helped us over the past 12 months. Proving to ourselves that we can find our limits whilst not being able to see that well has proved to be a great confidence boost.”
Glenn Tookey, CEO of Sight and Sound Technology, commented: “We are thrilled to be part of the team taking on the Three Peaks Challenge. Completing the climbs will be a tremendous personal achievement in itself for us all and it is hoped that we can raise a substantial amount in aid of Blind in Business.”
Split into two sub-groups, the first team aim to complete the trek in sub-24 hours and the other team in plus-24 hours.
The team is scheduled to complete a trial walk on 10 May 2013 prior to the Three Peaks, which will involve climbing Mount Snowdon in a target time frame of four hours.
-ENDS-
Notes to editors
Sight and Sound Technology is the UK’s leading provider of hardware and software to the blind, visually impaired and those with learning and reading difficulties. They work in unison with private individuals, charitable organisations, educational establishments and commercial enterprises to help users fully realise their potential. Their product solutions have been specifically designed to improve quality of life at work, at study or in the home.
For more information on Sight and Sound Technology please visit: https://www.sightandsound.co.uk
To arrange an interview with Glenn Tookey, CEO of Sight and Sound Technology or any of the team, please contact [email protected]
To sponsor the team, please visit: http://www.justgiving.com/sightandsound3peaks