John works in the finance team of Bausch and Lomb UK, a corporate partner of Fight for Sight for 15 years. This year John will be running his very first marathon (he hasn’t confirmed whether it’ll be his last: “never say never”) raising vital funds for our work supporting everyone impacted by vision loss.
Inspired to run
John’s interest in running started with a lunchtime running club with colleagues about eight years ago. A quick run on his lunch break turned into the occasional half marathon, and now a marathon. “I enjoy the social side of running. We don’t run fast, we run at a pace where we can have a chat.” John and his fellow lunchtime runners have done a few event races for Fight for Sight over the years. But it wasn’t until last year that John, aged 63, felt it was time to take on ‘the big one’, after hearing about some of the ground-breaking research we fund.
“In 2024 Fight for Sight came to do a talk for our All Staff kick off meeting. I found the talk so inspiring especially when the speaker (Ranjeet Khare, our director of development) told us about the choroideremia trial and how Fight for Sight has funded the clinical trial which has halted the progression of vision loss for one of the participants in the study.”
Joe Pepper was a participant in the study, below you can hear his story.
John works in the finance team of Bausch and Lomb UK, a corporate partner of Fight for Sight for 15 years. This year John will be running his very first marathon (he hasn’t confirmed whether it’ll be his last: “never say never”) raising vital funds for our work supporting everyone impacted by vision loss.
Inspired to run
John’s interest in running started with a lunchtime running club with colleagues about eight years ago. A quick run on his lunch break turned into the occasional half marathon, and now a marathon. “I enjoy the social side of running. We don’t run fast, we run at a pace where we can have a chat.” John and his fellow lunchtime runners have done a few event races for Fight for Sight over the years [add pics]. But it wasn’t until last year that John, aged 63, felt it was time to take on ‘the big one’, after hearing about some of the ground-breaking research we fund.
“In 2024 Fight for Sight came to do a talk for our All Staff kick off meeting. I found the talk so inspiring especially when the speaker (Ranjeet Khare, our director of development) told us about the choroideremia trial and how Fight for Sight has funded the clinical trial which has halted the progression of vision loss for one of the participants in the study.”
John’s close friend’s wife is registered blind due to a progressive condition and John is continuously inspired by how Norma is living well with vision loss.
“It’s the combination of funding research as well as the projects you fund to support people with work, to enjoy life by getting out and about [like Norma], which is what makes your organisation such a worthwhile cause to support.”
How is Bausch and Lomb supporting you?
Bausch and Lomb is a longstanding charity partner of Fight for Sight.
“We’ve got a brilliant HR team who have put together a charity committee organising events throughout the year. We’ve had a charity raffle, a Valentine’s bake sale and have a charity walk along the River Thames planned for the summer.”
Olivia McDonald, partnerships officer is as enthusiastic about the partnership as John, she said: “Fight for Sight is absolutely thrilled to partner with Bausch and Lomb as their 2025 charity partner. Their incredible commitment to advocating for sight loss and unwavering dedication to our mission to ‘Save Sight. Change Lives.’ truly reflects the heart and integrity of their organisation. We’re deeply grateful for their support and can’t wait to continue this impactful journey together.”
Who will be supporting you on the day?
John is a family man, married for 31 years with three daughters. “From the family will be my wife, my daughters one husband and a couple of boyfriends. I’m expecting a few people from work to turn up, especially at the after party in a local sports bar.”
Along with seeing friends and family along the way, John is looking forward to soaking up the atmosphere and seeking out the four and half hour 'pace runner' (a marked person who helps runners stick to their desired finish time).
John is a passionate supporter of our work, and we're delighted he's chosen Fight for Sight to tackle his very first marathon. If you'd like to support John in reaching his fundraising target, you can visit his page.
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