Blind Elder's Marathon Ride

Wednesday March 23

^{Ken Reid (on back) with Matthew Dollive, launching Ken's charity ride at North Berwick}

A Church of Scotland elder will mark the 30th anniversary of being told he was going blind by embarking on a marathon cycle journey to all four UK capital cities this summer.

Ken Reid, from North Berwick, hopes to raise £7500 for the RNIB’s Talking Books service, which he describes as a lifeline service for people who can’t read print.

He will make the 750-mile, two-week trip on a tandem bike with a relay of pilots in the front seat.

Ken, former chair of RNIB Scotland, was diagnosed with the degenerative eye condition retinitis pigmentosa in 1986. "There was no history of this condition in my family," he says, "And we had no idea how to deal with it. The condition is untreatable, so the doctors then had little more to say to me than to say I was going blind, and there was no-one else for me to talk to!

"So began my journey into sight loss. The prognosis was correct, I have gone blind. The rest of the journey has been a real one of discovery, with many highs and lows along the way.

"By making this journey, I want to increase awareness of the journey that more than 100 people across the UK start every day towards sight loss."

In raising money for the Talking Books service, Ken says he is combining two of his passions – cycling and reading – which he has had to do differently since losing his sight.

Ken will set off from the RNIB office in Edinburgh on July 29, and visit the charity’s premises in Belfast and Cardiff (via Dublin) before finishing in London.

He says: “It costs RNIB £2,500 to produce each 'talking book'. If I can raise £10 for each mile of my journey that's three new books for adults or children."

Ken is an elder at St Andrew Blackadder Church in North Berwick.

You can support Ken through his JustGiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/Cycle750/ or text to donate - CCLE75 £5 - to telephone number 70070.

You can follow Ken's progress on his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/cycle750

Post Tags: ken reid, cycle 750, sight loss

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