A YORK woman has won a national award in recognition of her work in breaking down barriers for young women living with sight loss.

Holly Tuke, who has retinopathy of prematurity after being born at 24 weeks, won the Social Media Influencer of the Year Award at the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) See Differently Awards.

Holly, 23, said: “I am completely shocked, I did not expect that at all.

"To hear I was shortlisted as a national finalist was such a proud moment for me so to actually win the award when I was up against some incredible people is amazing.

"It fills me with so much pride to be recognised in this way."

The Social Media Influencer of the Year Award recognises someone who has used social media to break down the barriers faced by blind or partially sighted people, as well as promoting support for a social issue affecting the sight loss community.

Holly started her blog ‘Life of a Blind Girl’ in 2015 as a creative outlet and to share her experiences of living with sight loss.

She is passionate about educating others and believes that education is the way forward to creating a more accessible world.

She covers an array of topics on her blog, writing about everything from how people can make their blogs and social media channels more accessible, to employment and disability, to her favourite pieces of accessible technology.

Holly is also an advocate for making concert venues and ticket websites more accessible.

As an avid music fan who regularly attends concerts, she is passionate about improvements in this area, and has co-founded a non-profit blog called ‘Access For Us’.

The outlet aims to raise awareness of accessibility at music venues through allowing people with different disabilities to share their experiences of attending concerts and buying tickets for events.

The RNIB See Differently Awards aim to shine a spotlight on the positive work happening every day across the UK to support people with sight loss.

RNIB CEO, Matt Stringer, said: "The RNIB See Differently Awards celebrate those who dedicate their time, passion and skills to changing the world for blind and partially sighted people.

"All our winners have shown fantastic examples of this and I warmly congratulate them all on their success."