A man from South Wales is taking on the Manchester Marathon this weekend in support of Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for vision-impaired ex-Service men and women, which supports his grandad.
Chris Short, 33, and from Port Talbot, will be running 26.2 miles in his first ever marathon on Sunday 14 April.
He says:
“I decided to enter the marathon as I’ve lost ten stone over the last two years and have set myself goals and challenges along the way. Last year, I entered a half marathon, but this year will be the biggest challenge yet.
“Not only will this be a huge personal achievement for me, but I’ll also be doing it for my grandad who lost his sight around four years ago and has been supported by the charity Blind Veterans UK.
“The charity has had a big impact on my family and has done so much for my grandad. Grandad has macular degeneration and only has a small circle of vision, but you wouldn’t know he’s blind. He’s stubbornly independent.
“Blind Veterans UK has helped him to retain that independence, he has been assisted with a number of items that help him day to day such as a projector for reading letters, a talking watch, a liquid level indicator to help him safely make drinks and a magnifying glass.”
Chris has now finished his training ahead of the gruelling run and will be aiming for a time of around four hours on the day.
He says:
“My auntie will be setting up the iPad for my grandad so that he can watch and they’ll have my running number so they can track me along the course.
“There will be a lot of feelings when I cross the line, having achieved it will be incredible but knowing I’ve also made my grandad proud and have helped other blind veterans in his position will mean so much to me.
“I initially set myself a fundraising target of £250 but I’m now nearing £600, admittedly £100 of that was my grandad. I hope to hit the £600 mark by Sunday.”
If you would like to support Chris and help him reach £600 please visit his Just Giving page: Justgiving.com/page/Christopher-short
If Chris has inspired you to train for a marathon, you can register your interest now for a place in the London Marathon 2025: blindveterans.org.uk/support-us/londonmarathon
Blind Veterans UK supports thousands of blind veterans across the country, but knows there are many thousands more who still need its support to rebuild their lives after sight loss.
If you, or someone you know, served in the Armed Forces, including National Service, and are now struggling with sight loss, then please get in touch. Call 0800 389 7979 or visit blindveterans.org.uk/gethelp
