A life without limits: my journey back to RSBC

I’m incredibly proud, and deeply humbled, to have been appointed Honorary President of the Royal Society for Blind Children in January 2025. This isn’t just a role for me – it’s a homecoming, because RSBC has been part of my life since the moment I needed it most. To return now is an honour, and a responsibility I cherish.

This charity shaped my path, and I believe passionately in its mission to help every blind and partially sighted child live a life without limits.

 

The day my life changed forever

I was 39 when I lost my sight. One day, I could see, and the next, my world went dark. Like so many others, I faced the overwhelming grief and fear that comes with sudden and irreversible sight loss. The doctors and psychiatrists were kind, well meaning, and clinically skilled, but they couldn’t offer me a way to rebuild my life.

Then I met the Royal London Society for the Blind, now known as RSBC.

Within three weeks of working with the charity, they achieved what medical professionals had not managed in four years. They gave me a reason to hope. They helped me find purpose. Most importantly, they taught me not just to accept my sight loss, but to draw upon everything I had been before. The knowledge, the skills, the resilience – they showed me how to use it all to help others who’d come after me.

That was the beginning of a journey I never could have imagined.

 

From service user to Chief Executive

I went from being supported by RSBC to becoming the charity’s Chief Executive. Together with a passionate and visionary team, we reshaped the organisation’s work, moving from a model of care and sympathy to one of empowerment and inclusion. We understand that blind children do not need fixing. They need backing. They need people to believe in their ability to succeed.

In those years, I saw lives transformed. I watched children who had been told they would never thrive go on to university, into careers, into leadership. That experience changed me forever.

And while my time as Chief Executive eventually came to an end, my mission didn’t stop there.

 

Founding Waymap

After leaving RSBC, I wanted to tackle one of the biggest barriers blind people face – independent mobility. So, I founded Waymap. It’s the world’s most accurate indoor and outdoor navigation system, allowing blind and disabled people to move confidently and independently without relying on GPS or visual cues. Whether it’s navigating a train station or exploring a city, users can go wherever they want, whenever they want, entirely on their own terms.

Waymap isn’t just about maps. It’s about freedom, it’s about dignity, and it’s about unlocking the world.

But even as Waymap grows, my heart has always remained with RSBC and the children it supports.

 

Working with a new generation of leaders

In my new role, I’m delighted to work closely with Julie Davies, the Board of Trustees, and the exceptional team leading RSBC today. They’re tireless, forward-thinking, and utterly committed to one powerful idea – that blind and partially sighted children should live a life without limits.

Our shared belief is that no child should believe there’s a limit to their life opportunities just because others might underestimate them. Their hopes, ambitions, and talents should be celebrated and supported.

I work alongside the team, advocating, fundraising, mentoring, and sharing the lessons I’ve learned along the way.

 

My vision: a life without limits

I’ve always believed that being blind should not mean being excluded. It’s not a failure or a flaw – it’s a difference, and one that our society must learn to embrace.

RSBC taught me that the story of blindness is not one of loss, but of adaptation, growth, and contribution. And I will never stop telling that story.

I want every child who walks through RSBC’s doors to know they are seen, believed in, and celebrated. I want them to imagine futures filled with adventure, success, and leadership. And I want our society to stop underestimating what young people with vision impairments can do.

We’re not here to offer pity. We’re here to unlock potential.

 

Join us and create a world where a life without limits is the norm for blind children and where you can be inspired by them to find a life without limits for yourself. Tell others. Post on social media. Help us reach the families who need us most and the people who can help us do more.

 

Let’s build that world together.