Sutton sisters head to London to help blind charity close to their hearts
A Sutton woman, registered blind due to a rare eye condition, is set to run alongside her sister in the London Marathon to raise money for a sight-loss charity.
Allie Hamilton, 35, has already raised more than £1,400 for Look UK as she prepares for Sunday’s world-renowned event.
Her sister Becky, 33, will act as her guide runner and Allie said: “We are aiming to do the marathon in six hours or under. We have been training for 16 weeks and we are gearing up for it now.
“It’s been hard training but we are really looking forward to the day, getting to sample the atmosphere.
“Everyone says it’s electric on the day, that the support is great and it feels like a party. So we will enjoy it and just remember we are doing it for a good cause. It should be really good.”
Allie was diagnosed with Macular Dystrophy, a rare eye condition in young people, 11 years ago.
“It initially affected my left eye and then right,” she said. “It spread and affected the central vision in both of of my eyes so I only have peripheral vision now.
"I am actually registered as blind, I can’t drive any more and it is quite limiting."
“Career wise, I had to really think about what I could manage. For example, a lot of screen time would be tricky.
“But Becky and I run our own business, Hamilton Munro Recruitment as well as an entertainment company. I am also a mentor for young people and families suffering from issues connected with sight loss.
"I am determined to tell people you can crack on and have a relatively normal life. It is hard, of course, and you might feel you lose that sense of freedom and independence you once had.
“It is okay to feel down sometimes but it’s about making the most of your life and what you have got.
“If you go down all the avenues, you can to achieve what you want and exhaust everything before you give up on stuff.”
And Allie says she is determined to raise as much as possible to support Look .
“The money will all go to a really good cause,” she said.
“They go into schools and do programmes with students to help them learn to cope with their sight loss.
"They let them know what to expect from support systems and they support families dealing with a child who has lost their sight.”
To donate to Allie and Becky’s cause, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/hamilton-munro
