A para athlete from Surbiton is to run blindfolded to support a charity that means a lot to him.

Sprinter Souleyman Bah will take part in the Blindfold Run 2017, in support of the Royal Society for Blind Children (RSBC) on Sunday, November 5.

He is severely sight-impaired due to having Retinitis Pigmentosa, which means his vision has deteriorated since early childhood.

Souleyman said: “When I was 14 and just starting out in competitive sport, RSBC stepped in to support me to continue with my training, which I’ll always be grateful for. Now I can give something back by taking on the Blindfold Run, which is fantastic.”

Participants will be blindfolded and tied to a partner who will act as a guide over 5 or 10km.

Souleyman said: “I plan to run the 10k route blindfolded alongside my partner, RSBC’s Chris Webb-Butler, who will swap halfway with my former school teaching assistant, Ali Kilick. It was Ali who first spotted my talent for sprinting, so it will be great to reunite with him for this challenge.

“People might think I have an advantage as an athlete, but for sprinters like me long distances are a no-no! I’ll have to do a lot of endurance training to get ready for this but I’m very determined to complete it.”

Souleyman recently appeared on Channel 4’s The Undatables, as part of his continuing efforts to raise awareness of living with sight loss while young.

To sign up for the Blindfold Run visit blindfoldrun.org, or to donate to Souleyman’s fundraising effort visit justgiving.com/fundraising/souleyman-bah.