A VISUALLY impaired York man, who is also a wheelchair user, is aiming to tackle a 500m swimming challenge to raise money for a charity which has helped him.

Ian Wood, who lives in Acomb, faces daily adversity, being registered blind, using a wheelchair and suffering from mitochondria disease, which leaves him frequently drained of energy.

But, despite this, his proactive approach and independent spirit has led him into a life of adventure and activity from cycling and canoeing to skydiving and wheelchair skiing.

This month, Ian is preparing to take on the 500m challenge during the Aquasphere Epic Lake Swim on Lake Windemere on September 17 to raise money for The Lily Foundation. The foundation is one of the Mitochondria disease charities - which Ian suffers from, causing him to fatigue easily.

Ian, 44, said: "When I am doing the swim Yolanda Guthrie is assisting me, as I can’t see the direction of the course as my distance vision is non-existent.

"There are three different distances, my distance doesn’t start until 1.30pm. This is going to be a really big challenge for me as I suffer with fatigue due to the condition, so I am going to have to try and do as little as possible up to our start time to make sure that I have enough energy to complete my distance."

Over the last few years, Ian has taken part in the Superhero Triathlon series, and he recounts the challenges and opportunities of taking part in triathlons in a memoir he wrote during the Covid lockdowns called 'Living with Mitochondria Against All Odds' - which is available on Amazon.

During the challenges, he has been raising money for Remap - a charity of retired engineers who make bespoke gadgets and adaptations for disabled and older people.

The charity often supports Ian with his wheelchairs, so he thought it is important that he gives something back.

In the triathlon, all competitors are disabled - and each has at least one helper - who are known as 'sidekicks' during the event.

Ian has a team of five people supporting him - and most of them will be aiming to complete the three legs of the triathlon with him. This consists of a 400m swim, a 10km bike ride and pushing Ian's wheelchair for 2.5km and running alongside him.

For the cycling part of the triathlon, Ian has an adult version of a tandem bike which he uses once a week with a volunteer from the local blind society.

To support Ian's efforts during the swimming challenge this month, visit his donation page at: https://bit.ly/3x6Sx8z

Ian is also hoping to raise awareness of World Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week between September 18 and 24.