A former soldier, raising money for Blind Veterans UK has described what it is like to be blind in a pandemic.

Darren Blanks, 33, from Egremont, said he has never used his long cane more - "not to help me get around but so other people recognise I am blind."

He said he walks past hand sanitising stations, cannot see to negotiate one-way passage through shops and has hit his head on perspex shields that were never there before.

This is just the latest challenge for a man who survived two tours of duty in Iraq before returning home to work at the delivery office of the Egremont Post Office.

His life changed in the space of four months 10 years ago when he was diagnosed Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy.

The disease has left him with minimal sight.

"I can best describe it as looking through a frosted glass window. You can see shapes but cannot identify them. I will see a blob on the road. I don't know if it is a dog, a person or a car and I could never tell you the colour."

Blindness forced him into unemployment but he works as a volunteer for both the West Cumbria Society for the Blind and, now, for Blind Veterans UK.

He also challenges himself with daily exercise and triathlons.

He has run a marathon in his own garden since lockdown to make up for the fact that he could not take part in the cancelled London marathon.

This has helped him come to terms with his condition.

"I thought I handled it well. I remember going on a skiing holiday and having real difficulty with getting back from the airport in London to Cumbria. That's when I finally realised that I needed help and that's when I started using a long cane for the first time."

Now he is not only facing his own challenged but challenging everyone else to get themselves fit and support Blind Veterans UK.

Power Up challenges people to build up to 60 press ups, 300 squats and hold a plank for four minutes after a month of daily training.

Darren suggested. however, that people just continue exercising at their own pace for as long as a pandemic lasts.

"Just stay active every day."