PICKING a winner at York Races is always difficult, but the Lord Mayor of York made the task even harder by wearing a blindfold.

Coun Charles Hall, who has chosen Sight Savers International as one of his charities to benefit from his year of office, was happy to lose his sight temporarily in order to highlight World Sight Day yesterday.

He was supported by York Lions, whose members represented the charity at York Racecourse. The Lord Mayor's horse came fourth, although he did have winners in other races.

The international event, co-ordinated by Vision 2000, aimed to highlight the fact that there are more than 45 million blind people in the world, and the vast majority live in the developing world.

Sight Savers International is calling for governments around the world to take action to end avoidable blindness.

Coun Hall, who enjoyed the first day of the three-day race meeting, said: "In one year six million people go blind, but 4.8 million can be helped.

"I would urge all racegoers to consider the enjoyment they have had from being able to see the colourful spectacle of a race-day and make a donation to Sight Savers International."

Poverty and blindness are a dangerous combination, depriving many people of basic human rights. Working with local partner organisations in more than 25 countries across Asia, Africa and the Caribbean, Sight Savers works to prevent blindness and restore sight, and in doing so rebuilds lives.

Sight Savers supporter actress Joanna Lumley said: "It is a tragedy that so many people are needlessly blind when their sight could be restored simply and cheaply. It costs as little as £17 to restore sight to an adult who is blind from cataract and just 12p to protect a child from going blind from River Blindness.

"This is such a comparatively small amount of money to transform people's lives."

Show your support for World Sight Day by visiting www.sightsavers.org.

Updated: 11:07 Friday, October 10, 2003