A mission for blind children (From Stroud News and Journal)

A mission for blind children

ADVENTURER Maurice Evlyn-Bufton is aiming to help restore the sight of hundreds of children by completing the expedition of a lifetime.

The hyper fit 38-year-old, from Slad, is leading a team which plans to raise £100,000 - enough cash to help 500 youngsters in Bangladesh.

Their mammoth journey will see the group cycle 85 gruelling miles from Stroud to Portsmouth, sail 100 miles from Portsmouth to Le Havre in France and bike more than 500 miles to the foot of Mont Blanc.

A climb of nearly 5,000 metres follows before they paraglide back to earth - all in aid of the Sight Savers International charity.

Ten years ago, Maurice ran several marathons for the organisation, but he recently decided to set a new challenge.

"You only have to try carrying out a daily task such as walking from your bedroom to the kitchen to make a cup of tea while wearing a blindfold to see the benefit of supporting Sight Savers," he said.

"It costs around £200 to restore the sight of one child, but we wanted to help 500.

"Once we had set the target, we had to come up with something that had enough kudos to raise that much money.

"I'm really looking forward to it now because it's given us all something to focus on."

Maurice was appalled by statistics showing that one in three children who are born blind in Bangladesh die before the age of two.

"It's not just about restoring children's sight, it is also about saving lives," he said.

Maurice will be joined by friends Nick Argles, 39, Stuart Tootal, 39, and Simon Jackson, 37, and will be assisted by three other supporters.

They are appealing for five local businesses to sponsors them to the tune of £5,000 each.

One firm is needed to sponsor each phase of the journey, and they will also be appealing for other donations.

Maurice and his team will set off in September, and are hoping locals will join them for some of the way.

If you want to help Maurice and his team hit their target go to their website at www.expeditionfirstlight.com.

Sight Savers facts:

* There are currently around 40,000 blind children in Bangladesh.

* Most of these cases are avoidable, and caused by easily treatable diseases like measles and diarrhoea.

* In other cases, it is caused by a cataract or glaucoma, which are also treatable.

* The Stroud team are taking part in Expedition 1st Light, a fundraising drive which aims to restore the sight of 10,000 children in Bangladesh.