Here are the links for the sponsorship forms – ‘Mizen to Malin head‘ or ‘North Pole to Malin Head‘. These forms are in Word format – let me know if you have problems reading/printing them.

An intrepid group of cyclists plan to cycle from Mizen head to Malin head to raise money for the VISION 2020 Kano project – here’s the proposed itinerary:

Day 1 Sunday, 6th Sept. Be driven to Mizen (near Cork) from Derry by Martina in support car with bike trailer.  If there are more than 6 cyclists another arrangement will be forged.  Martina will be our back up for the entire trip so we’lll only need to carry daily essentials on bikes.

Day 2.  Mizen to Killarney.  127 km. Whole day with fantastic scenery.  Second half of day involves two mountain passes.
Day 3.  Killarney to Kilrush.  143 km.  Via South pole bar in Annauscaul., Dingle. First half of day through magnificent terrain, second half flatter though.  Ferry from Tarbert to just outside Kilrush accross the mouth of the Shannon.
Day 4.  Kilrush to Athenry. 129km.  Via Cliffs of Moher.  The burren – lunar landscape.
Day 5.  Athenry to Carrick on Shannon.  104km.  Lakelands.
Day 6.  Carrick on Shannon to Victoria Bridge.  121km.  Via Enniskillen, Castlederg.  A landscape most of you know.  Quiet, rolling countryside for those that don’t.
Day 7 Sat 12th Sept.  Victoria Bridge to Malin Head.  85.4km.  Via Derry and the North Pole bar.  Aim to be at the North Pole bar for 2pm to meet up hopefully with a good crowd of cyclists who’ve done a week of work while we’ve been messing around on our bikes on the high ways and by ways.  Final sprint/limp…

“In developing countries, 60% of children die within a year of going blind”

This is a shocking statistic, and most of these cases of blindness can be prevented. One of the priorities of the VISION 2020 programme is therefore to prevent childhood blindness. A excellent article on this challenge can be found at v2020.org.

Here is a brief quotation…
“As the causes of blindness in children differ from those in adults, different control measures are needed. In low-income countries, high proportions of children are blind from preventable causes, which require community-based interventions. In all regions, children with treatable diseases, principally cataract, can have their sight restored. Childrens’ eyes cannot, however, be considered smaller versions of adults’ eyes, and specific expertise and equipment are required. Unlike adults, children require longterm follow-up after surgery, to manage complications and to prevent amblyopia (‘lazy eyes’). The understanding and involvement of parents is critical. In all regions, children with irreversible visual loss must be assessed for low-vision services, early visual stimulation, rehabilitation or special education, depending on their age and level of residual vision.”

“About 40% of the causes of childhood blindness are preventable or treatable.”

A multi-disciplinary team approach is essential to make a lasting impact, and this is one reason that the world health organisation has called for teams from developed countries to visit areas with particular needs and commit to providing training and resources in partnership with eye hospitals in developing countries.

We’ve registered ‘vision2020Kano.org’ for the fund-raising campaign. This will allow us to update people on the campaign’s progress and provide a focal point for information about the project.

A cheque to support the Vision 2020 Kano campaign was presented to the team at St. Columb’s cathedral.

From L to R in the photograph: The Rev Canon John Merrick, Elizabeth Fielding, Katie Hewitt, Eric Clarke ( Manager of CBM Northern Ireland) David Wright (Orthoptist, Altnagelvin Hospital) and the Dean of Derry the Very Rev Dr William Morton.

Vision2020 Kano fund-raising campaign gets underway!