Ashton siblings run their own 10K for Blind Veterans charity

A veteran from Ashton has ran a 10K alongside his sister, to raise money for the charity that has “given him his freedom back.”

Steven Dixon and Sarah Dixon had signed up to do the Manchester 10K scheduled for this weekend, before it was postponed due to the coronavirus.

They’re raising money for Blind Veterans UK, a charity close to the family’s heart after Steven became a member last year.

“I served with the 1st Battalion King’s Regiment from 1996-2002, in the infantry,” he explained. “I started losing my sight in 2015 and last year I contacted the Blind Veteran’s charity, became a member and went down to Brighton for an induction week.

“They supplied me with any help I needed as well as things like cooking utensils, reading facilities and ample other equipment. I went back for an IT week, where they showed us tools and facilities to help with using computers.

“They also hold Fitness Weeks 2-3 times a year. I’m part of the ‘Working Age Members Group’ and we’ve had Zoom meetings during lockdown, doing small fitness sessions together.

“They even took some of us skiing in Italy in January. The facilities were awesome and we were each given one-to-one instructors.

“Being a member of the Blind Veterans charity has given my back my freedom. They tell you what you can do with your sight, rather than focusing on what you’ve lost. I can’t praise them enough. They’ve helped me so much and now I want to give back.”

After the Manchester 10K was postponed until September 6, Steven and Sarah decided to do their run anyway, marking out a route from their father’s house in Ashton, around Daisy Nook.

“We’d never done an official run before but we train together three times a week,” Sarah said. “Steven still has a bit of vision left but is registered blind. Blind Veterans UK have done lots to help him, so it’s about giving something back to them.”

They completed the run on Sunday, finishing in a time of one hour and five minutes.

So far, Steven and Sarah have raised £305 for the charity, but you can still donate at www.gofundme.com/f/blind-veterans-10k-run.

They will be running the official Manchester 10K in September, this time joined by Steven’s 15-year-old son, Luke.