Sight loss charity chair in bus pass challenge

A woman who is registered blind is to embark on a charity challenge with her husband, crossing five counties in five days using just her disability bus pass and walking.

Becky Harrison and husband Uan said the challenge, which starts on 26 August, was inspired by the BBC programme Race Across the World, where people travel within a strict budget.

They are raising money for Swindon Bats, a charity which helps visually impaired people in the town access sport and social events.

The couple will travel to Penzance and then aim to walk and travel by bus to return to Swindon. They have not planned accommodation, so will find it along the way but are also taking a tent.

They will take the train to Penzance before navigating back through Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Bath and North East Somerset and Wiltshire in five days.

Ms Harrison has done other challenges before but said they wanted "up our games a bit".

She was registered blind in 2021 and previously told the BBC Swindon Bats had helped her deal with her sight loss.

She now is the charity's chairperson and in 2023 raised £2,000 with a coastal path walking challenge.

"It's literally blind as bats. It's our humour. We just love a bit of banter" she explained.

The fan of Race Across the World added her challenge was also about showing how valuable bus passes were to those with visual impairments.

"We're trying to show using your disabled bus pass to get as far as you possibly can," she said.

"We hope we can show people what we're made of really.

Ms Harrison added: "When life throws you something as difficult and as challenging as sight loss you can go two ways about it. You can turn away from the world or you can try and embrace the change as best you can."

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