Blind painter launches Aylesbury Vale fundraising walk for sight loss charity.

Adrian Paternoster of Weston Turville will lead an evening walk on 21 February from Clayfield Road to The Watermead Inn to raise funds for Retina UK; he plans to highlight night blindness by walking without his cane and using a lighted umbrella.

Adrian Paternoster of Weston Turville is organising an evening fundraising walk on 21 February to support Retina UK. He will walk from Clayfield Road to The Watermead Inn accompanied by his wife and six volunteers. Adrian, who has retinitis pigmentosa, said the walk is intended to demonstrate night blindness and he will forgo his cane while carrying an umbrella fitted with fairy lights. The event coincides with RP Awareness month and a fundraising page has been set up on GoFundMe. Key details: - Date and route: the walk is scheduled for 21 February, from Clayfield Road in Weston Turville to The Watermead Inn. - Participants and guidance: Adrian will be accompanied by his wife and six volunteers and will rely on them for guidance while not using his cane. - Visibility aid: he plans to carry an umbrella decorated with fairy lights to serve as a guide in low light. - Beneficiary: the walk is raising funds for Retina UK, a Buckingham-based charity that funds medical research into sight loss and supports people affected by inherited sight loss. - Medical background: Adrian’s eyesight began to diminish about four years ago and he was diagnosed with severe impaired vision due to retinitis pigmentosa in January 2023. - Community profile: he is known locally and nationally for donating and leaving his paintings around Aylesbury Vale and has appeared on BBC and Channel 5. Summary: Adrian’s planned evening walk aims to raise funds for Retina UK and to illustrate the effects of night blindness linked to retinitis pigmentosa. The event is scheduled for 21 February and a GoFundMe page has been set up to collect donations. The walk is timed during RP Awareness month in February. Further local participation details were not included in the report.