Bognor family raises £250 for charity with virtual Santa run

Chloe Neilson-Hopkins, her husband Chris Hopkins and their three-year-old son Ned jogged, walked, scooted and piggy-backed their way along Bognor prom as they took on 4Sight Vision Support’s My Santa Run challenge.

Chloe, a fundraising manager for the charity, also wore a pair of specialist glasses which simulate the blurred/obstructed vision caused by cataracts.

She said: “Taking on this challenge wearing simulation glasses gave me a small glimpse into how it feels to live with sight loss.

“While I could see the silhouettes of people, I couldn’t make out features and ran into branches at the start of the route because I just couldn’t work out how close they were.

“Our sight is so easily taken for granted and I have such admiration for the members I have spoken to who overcome this challenge on a daily basis.

“Working for the charity I know what a difference £250 will make – thank you to everyone for their support.”

4Sight is challenging the community to take part in My Santa Run 2020 to help spread Christmas cheer and raise money to support its work over the festive season.

Kirstie Thomas, an outreach worker for the charity, said: “When I was first diagnosed, I thought losing my sight meant losing my independence and I have spent the last 23 years proving that wrong.

“However, coronavirus and the need to social distance made me feel like I was in a worse place than before.

“To social distance, even with my symbol cane, I cannot tell if people are coming toward me or if they are stepping aside for me, and If I wear a face masks, this makes it impossible for me to use what remaining sight I have, which means I am more visually impaired.

“I feel unable to do things I would normally do independently, like going shopping, walking my dog or getting on the bus.”

4Sight has worked throughout the pandemic to continue to support members, offering emotional support, assistance with using tech devices, advice on eye health and developing online groups to re-connect members online.

The sight loss charity has been a lifeline to members, helping them to feel less isolated and remain independent during this time.

For more information and to register to take part, visit 4sight.org.uk/my-santa-run or call the fundraising team on 01243 828555.

To donate to Chloe’s JustGiving appeal visit justgiving.com/fundraising/chloechrisandned

---

A message from the Editor, Gary Shipton:

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news, I am asking you to please purchase a copy of our newspapers.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspapers.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

Stay safe, and best wishes.