A PARTIALLY-sighted dad is saddling up for an epic 700km charity bike ride through Asian rainforests.
Paul Baker, 58, from Steventon near Didcot, is gearing up for the eight-day ride across Vietnam and Cambodia with his daughter Katie beginning next week.
He is hoping to raise thousands of pounds to support the Leonard Cheshire Disability charity, of which he is a trustee.
Mr Baker and Katie, who lives in London, will set off on the gruelling challenge on Monday.
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The ride will take them from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam through the rice paddies and waterways of the beautiful Mekong Delta. At certain points they will have to cross rivers on a raft.
On the seventh day they will reach Cambodia and the terrain will turn into thick forests and isolated settlements, ending at the World Heritage site in Angkor Wat.
Mr Baker, who has a detached retina in his right eye, joined Leonard Cheshire Disability as a trustee last year after 40 years working in the banking sector.
He said: “The challenge of mosquitos and spicy food may prove to be as great as the ride itself, but I’m really looking forward to riding my bike through two beautiful countries in support of a fantastic charity.
“Being visually impaired, I have always been an active supporter of Leonard Cheshire Disability’s work.
“I feel really proud to be representing the charity as a new trustee.”
He has already raised more than £2,600 in sponsorship money to help the charity.
Leonard Cheshire Disability is the UK’s largest voluntary sector provider of services for disabled people.
It helps people with disabilities get access to education, employment and entrepreneurship and provides accommodation in Cheshire Homes.
The charity works in more than 50 countries with more than 7,500 staff and supports more 7,000 disabled people in the UK alone.
- Find out more about the charity at leonardcheshire.org
- Sponsor Mr Baker online at justgiving.com/Paul-Baker16 or text VIET66 and the amount (£1, £2, £3, £4, £5 or £10) to 70070.
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