TWO friends are raising funds for The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) by doing its virtual Marathon Mates challenge.
Nada Burgess, from Solihull, and Talia Treen, from Birmingham, both work in eye care, Talia as an RNIB eye clinic liaison officer while Nada is an eye surgeon in training.
RNIB’s Marathon Mates challenge runs throughout the month of May and is inspired by the way many people with sight loss run with a guide runner. It asks people to pair up with a friend and split a marathon distance (26.2 miles) between them during the month.
However, Talia and Nada have decided to go quite a bit further and complete a full marathon distance each!
“As with so many others we succumbed to the inactivity of lockdown and the idea of Marathon Mates stemmed from us participating in Couch to 5k,” said Talia.
“Marathon Mates is perfect for us given that we work with blind and partially-sighted people every day.
“This challenge allows us to combine something we like with fund-raising for a cause close to our hearts.
“Through the work we do, Nada and I have seen how the right support for people with sight loss can help them to lead independent lives.”
Nada added: “We see our patients having to go the extra mile every single day of their lives to retain independence. So, this is us trying to go the extra mile for them.”
Lizzi Wagner, senior fund-raising manager at RNIB, said: “We’re delighted to have Talia and Nada on Team RNIB for Marathon Mates.
“The last year has been particularly challenging for blind and partially-sighted people.
“The money Talia and Nada raise will help us provide advice and support to over two million people living with sight loss in the UK.”
Talia’s and Nada’s Just Giving page can be found at: http://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/talia-treen
Anyone wishing to take part in the RNIB’s Marathon Mates challenge can find out more online at marathonmates.rnib.org.uk.
