Ian Wood hoping to raise £1000 during York’s Sport Relief Mile with help from Clara Hudson (From York Press)

Ian Wood hoping to raise £1000 during York’s Sport Relief Mile with help from Clara Hudson

9:17am Friday 12th March 2010 in

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A PARTIALLY blind man will line up in a wheelchair alongside other participants when the gun sounds for York’s Sport Relief Mile later this month.

Ian Wood, 31, who suffers from a muscle-wasting disease, wanted to push himself. But his lack of vision means he could collide with other participants, so he will be accompanied by his personal assistant, Clara Hudson. He said he is hoping to raise £1,000 – and public awareness of the difficulties faced by people with multiple disabilities such as himself – by his participation in the charity event.

Mr Wood, who lives in Acomb, York, said: “I could possibly help push. Unfortunately, Clara will be doing the pushing.”

He is concerned many people do not realise he is partially blind because, being wheelchair-bound, he does not have a white stick or a guide dog like other visually-impaired people.

He has difficulty in shops because assistants try to show him products – not realising he can only see a few feet in front of him.

Mr Wood has been partially paralysed on one side since he was knocked over at the age of five. Six or seven years ago, he was diagnosed with a hereditary mitochrondrial disease that causes muscular wasting.

He also has optic atrophy which has caused his loss of sight.

He needs help from personal assistants to do routine tasks such as shopping, cooking and cleaning.

The York Sport Relief Mile starts at 12.30pm on Sunday, March 21, at Rawcliffe Bar Country Park.

If you want to sponsor Mr Wood, go to mysportrelief.com/ianwoody