INCREDIBLE Coventry couple Chris and Claire Norman said they were incredibly grateful for the city’s support after their month-long guided charity run raised almost £1,900 for Coventry Resource Centre for the Blind (CRCB).
Chris, who is blind, and wife Claire, who is visually impaired, pledged to run 250km throughout January to raise much-needed cash for the resource centre.
But with the support of sighted-guide friends, the pair smashed all their targets, running around 250 miles each and raising nearly four times their initial £500 target.
Chris and Claire have received plenty of support during their challenge including from the Earlsdon Running Club and Good Gym Coventry.
Chris said: “The month has been so much fun and we’ve met some incredible people on our journey.
“The whole experience has been astounding, we’ve been really lucky and so many people we didn’t even know have been so generous, especially during the cost-of-living crisis.”
The CRCB helps blind and visually impaired people across the city by providing long-term practical, emotional and social support to enable those living with sight loss to live as independently as possible.
The couple met at CRCB, getting married in 2019, and Claire has recently become a trustee.
Claire added: “We’ll definitely make this an annual challenge for ourselves and we will be aiming to do something even bigger and better next year.
“Hopefully the money will keep people coming to the centre – there’s so many ways this can support our wonderful community.”
In Coventry, 500 people begin to lose their sight every year.
The run was part of a campaign by CRCB and 28 other national sight loss charities inviting people to ‘Take on 250’, to represent the number of people who begin to lose their sight in the UK each day.
Participants chose activities including baking, knitting, running, walking, or dancing and completing 250 minutes, laps, or repetitions.
Chris and Claire’s JustGiving page – justgiving.com/campaign/run250 – will stay open for resource centre donations until March 31.
