A blind student will take on the Dundee Kiltwalk this year in a bid to raise cash for a charity which has helped him since he lost his sight.
Jonathan Attenborough, 29, from Newburgh, was born partially sighted and could only see from his left eye.
But his sight further deteriorated at the end of 2017 after an operation to halt the damage caused by the eye condition glaucoma, which he had been battling since 2015.
The operation was unsuccessful, leaving the accounting student with the ability to only see shapes and shadows.
Jonathan said: “Once my sight started to deteriorate, I went on to use a cane but I didn’t enjoy it nor use it well. So, I looked into using guide dogs which resulted in me being matched with my first dog.”
Jonathan was matched with Zorba, a yellow Labrador/retriever mix, in 2016 thanks to Guide Dogs Scotland.
He added: “Zorba is a fantastic dog and he helped me so much.”
Zorba retired from Jonathan’s care in March 2017 and he has now been matched with a younger dog, Sam, who helps with his day-to-day life.
And the Kiltwalk will be used as a way for the pair to become more familiar with each other as they set off on the 13-mile effort.
Jonathan said: “When you match with a new guide dog, it takes eight months to a year for us both to get comfortable with one another.
“I wanted to do the walk with my guide dog and not a guide runner so people can see what their donations for guide dogs can do for people like myself.”
Jonathan is raising £5,000 for Name A Puppy which is part of Guide Dogs Scotland and is hoping to provide funding for a puppy in training, which he will name after his first dog.
He added: “Guide Dogs Scotland have been so supportive over the years and I want to give something back to them.”
This article originally appeared on the Evening Telegraph website. For more information, read about our new combined website.