A blind Dundee University graduate has embarked on a gruelling 750-mile bike ride to raise money for audio books.
Ken Reid set off on the first leg of his journey, which he will complete in tandem, encompassing all four UK capital cities.
The challenge also marks the 30th anniversary of losing his sight as a young man.
The 57-year-old was diagnosed with the degenerative eye condition retinitis pigmentosa in 1986.
He said: “There was no history of this condition in my family and we had no idea how to deal with it.
“The condition is untreatable, so the doctors then had little more to say to me than to say I was going blind, and there was no-one else for me to talk to.
“So began my journey into sight loss. The prognosis was correct, I have gone blind.
“The rest of the journey has been a real one of discovery, with many highs and lows along the way.”
Ken was waved off from outside the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh by Lord Provost Donald Wilson and supporters, accompanied part of the way by Paralympian cyclist Laura Cluxton, who has the same sight loss condition.
He will cycle to Cairnryan, then ferry to Belfast from where he will cycle 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.
Ken added: “The sight loss journey isn’t an easy one 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.”
Ken, who now lives in North Berwick, is doing the epic ride in aid of sight loss charity RNIB’s audio-library – “an absolute lifeline” for those who can’t read print.
An avid reader himself, Ken said that without ‘talking books’, a whole world of literature would be denied to blind people.
However, it costs RNIB £2,500 to produce each audio book.
You can support Ken through his Just Giving page https://www.justgiving.com/Cycle750/ or Text to donate – CCLE75 £5 – to telephone number 70070.
