Girl, 12, takes on challenge after losing sight

A 12-year-old girl is taking on a 122-mile walking challenge for a charity who helped her after losing her sight.

Aniyah, from Grimsby, will raise money for Guide Dogs after her buddy dog, Spirit, helped her to regain her confidence following sight loss.

This month, she has planned to walk the distance between her home and the Guide Dogs centre in Atherton, Greater Manchester, where she first met Spirit.

Her mum, Lea, said: "By taking on this challenge, she wants to raise awareness and show that she's no longer afraid to stand out, with Spirit by her side."

Aniyah, who lives with her two mums, Lea and Alex, and her three brothers, was 10-years-old when her family first began to notice small changes to her sight.

Lea said: "Aniyah had always had perfect eyesight but towards the end of 2023, we realised something wasn't right."

Following hospital tests, Aniyah was diagnosed with macular dysfunction, which, according to Guide Dogs, is a term used to describe changes to the central vision.

Lea said: "Aniyah lost a lot of confidence. She started withdrawing, wouldn't leave the house unless it was for school, and even that was a struggle."

After speaking to Guide Dogs, Aniyah was matched with buddy dog Spirit in September, just weeks after she started secondary school.

A buddy dog helps children with sight loss to build confidence and independence. They are not the same as a guide dog which is used to provide mobility and assistance.

Lea said: "Spirit came to us at just the right time and gave her [Aniyah} a focus. Everything seemed to fall into place."

She added: "She still experiences a lot of eye pain, which can be really distressing.

"But, because of Spirit, she still tries her best each day to go to school, even if it's only for a few hours. She's helped Aniyah mentally in ways we can't put into words."

Aniyah has spoken publicly about her sight loss, hosted a talk at her primary school and plans to host another at her current school.

Aniyah started her challenge on New Year's Day with a seven-mile walk along Cleethorpes seafront.

Lea described her daughter as "incredibly brave" and said she is looking ahead to long cane training when support becomes available.

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