Ken Reid from East Lothian in Scotland has already raised almost half of the £7,500 total in donations he is aiming for in support of RNIB 'Talking Books'.
The former chair of RNIB Scotland is in training to cycle a 750-mile journey taking in all four UK capital cities as well as Dublin this summer.
Ken (56) is also doing the tandem-ride to mark the 30th anniversary of his going blind due to the sight loss condition retinitis pigmentosa. "The sight loss journey isn't an easy one," he says, "and I don't intend that my cycle journey should be easy either. I will be riding a tandem, sitting on the back seat, and helped by a relay of pilots. They will navigate us through the parts of the country they will be familiar with."
Accompanied by a series of 'pilots' acting as co-cyclists, Ken will leave Edinburgh on July 29th and cycle to Cairnryan, then ferry to Belfast from where he will cycle down to Dublin. From there he will take another ferry to Holyhead for Cardiff, and on to London. The trip should take around two weeks in all.
"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."
An avid reader himself, Ken says without RNIB 'Talking Books' a whole world of literature would be denied to blind people. "But it costs RNIB £2,500 to produce each 'talking book'," he points out. "If I can raise £10 for each mile of my journey that's three new books for adults or children."
You can support Ken through his Just Giving page at https://www.justgiving.com/Cycle750/
You can follow Ken's progress on his Facebook page at