Supporters go the extra mile for Fight for Sight

Eighteen year old Josh Cooper walked 90 miles in just 28 hours in aid of Fight for Sight. Joined by his mum Emma Cooper and friend Tom Newman, Josh walked from his home in Billericay, Essex to Brighton Pier and raised £126 for Fight for Sight.

Josh has two grandparents affected by age-related macular degeneration and wanted to support Fight for Sight’s research programme which focuses on the prevention and treatment of eye conditions such as macular degeneration: “Fight for Sight is a cause that is important to us as a family and we wanted to do some thing challenging that would help us fundraise for such a good cause.” Josh also raised funds for Camps International, the organisers of his gap year placement in Tanzania.

Emma Cooper, who also has friends affected by macular degeneration, was heavily involved in Josh’s fundraising: “Losing sight just seems so tragic and very difficult to come to terms with. We raised the money quite quickly and were surprised by the number of people with family members affected by sight issues. We were amazed by the generosity of our friends and colleagues even if they thought we were slightly mad!”

Annu Mayor, Director of Fundraising, was delighted Josh and his family chose Fight for Sight to benefit from their impressive fundraising challenge: “The charity depends on fundraising activities organised by people like Josh. It is only with the help of our supporters that we can continue to fund world-class research into the prevention and treatment of blindness and eye disease.”

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For more information call Louise Elliott at Fight for Sight
Phone 020 7929 7755 or visit our website: www.fightforsight.org.uk

Note for Editors:
Fight for Sight is the UK’s leading charity dedicated to funding world-class research into the prevention and treatment of blindness and eye disease.

Since 1965, the charity has funded millions of pounds worth of research at leading universities and hospitals throughout the UK. Our major achievements in this time include:
• saving the sight of thousands of  premature babies through understanding and controlling levels of oxygen delivery;
• restoring sight by establishing the UK Corneal Transplant Service enabling over 45,000 corneal transplants to take place;
• revolutionising the treatment for children with amblyopia (lazy eye);
• bringing hope to children with inherited eye disease by helping fund the team responsible for the world’s first gene therapy clinical trial; and
• providing £1million for the research unit at the dedicated children’s eye centre at Moorfields Eye Hospital.

Fight for Sight’s current research programme of over £5 million focuses on preventing and treating age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and cataract as well as causes of childhood blindness.