A BERKSHIRE sight loss charity is turning up the heat on a month-long challenge to raise awareness of sightloss and raise funds through January.
Berkshire Vision announced in November that they were teaming up with other sight loss charities for the Take on 250 campaign, which centres around the statistic that in the UK 250 people a day begin to lose their sight
The initiative challenges participants to complete 250 of something, and while embers and supporters of the charity have already begun their own challenges, the team at Berkshire Vision took on their own challenge.
On Saturday, January 14, team members took part in The Big Pedal, challenging themselves to cycle 250km on an exercise bike in The Oracle shopping centre.
They were joined by joined Katie Crowhurst, who won gold in the Paratriathlon at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022.
Caversham Health and Fitness has provided the exercise bike for the team and joined in with the event to help reach the target.
Clare Matthews, marketing and communications officer, said: “It was great to have Katie along, and we’re glad she came to shake the change buckets and put in some kilometers on the bike.
“When she was younger, she was a member with us and used to take part in some of our activities.
“I hope it was as good for her as it was for us.”
In terms of reaching the day’s goal of cycling 250km, she said: “We sat and cycled all day, taking turns between members of staff and Katie,
“One of our visually impaired members came along and banked more than 40km, and we had to leave at around 6pm.
“But at half five we hit it– it was a long day, but we did it.”
It wasn’t the only event taking place to raise money and awareness for the charity’s cause.
Ms Matthews said that one of the charity’s young members also took on a swimming challenge as part of the Take On 250 on Sunday, January 15.
“There’s a member of ours who’s just 14 and she has no sight at all due to a condition called FND,” or Functional Neurological Disorder.
“It also affects mobility and can cause difficulty walking, but she raised almost £1,500 by swimming 250 lengths of a pool.
“That was a massive achievement.”
As well as the water, some have been taking to the canvas as part of the challenge, with artist Emma Major producing 250 artworks during the month of January.
The challenge continues for the rest of January, and Ms Matthews said that members of the public can still take part.
“We want to thank everybody who has donated, as we raised just under £1,000 at our event in The Oracle, which will be a massive help to us,
“If you still want to donate or support, you can do so.”
Berkshire Vision supports those in Berkshire with sight loss, for which demand has doubled since 2019.
The charity currently supports more than 1,000 people by providing transport, services, and events for those who need help due to poor vision.
More information and sign up or donation details for the fundraiser can be found via: www.berkshirevision.org.uk/takeon250
