First official guide running trainers to visit Jersey

Guide-runners are attached to their partners

UK Athletics will come to Jersey for the island's first official guide-running training event.

Guide runners help people who are blind or who are partially sighted with their running.

UK Athletics has worked with the vision charity Eyecan to put on the training event which will help more people become guide runners.

There are around 25 guide runners in the island and organisers of the event later in July hope more will sign up.

Jenny Stafford has lost almost all her vision and has been using a guide runner in Jersey since 2016.

She said: "The guide makes sure to help me if there's anything coming up on the surfaces like bumps in the road.

"It's just a great way of me getting out and about and doing some exercise.

"It's very important to have guide runners for me because I wouldn't be able to get out running on my own."

'Give something back'

Alastair Christie was the first guide runner to work with Ms Stafford at Jersey Parkrun and has helped others become guide runners in the island.

He said: "It's a lovely feeling but it's a straightforward process and it takes up very little time.

"It's very nice to give something back to the community especially when you're helping someone who is visually impaired.

"The training will give people confidence in their ability to guide others safely."

Ms Stafford believes the event can get more people into guide running and has some advice for people looking to give it a go: "People think it's a lot more complicated than it is.

"It's just about communication and we wear a strap so we're attached together and once we start talking then it's all good."

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