A RUNNING club has raised valuable funds for a charity for the blind, in memory of a partially sighted club member who died after being struck by a lorry earlier this year. North Herts Road Runners presented a cheque for £7,150 to Gillian Parker, the nati

A RUNNING club has raised valuable funds for a charity for the blind, in memory of a partially sighted club member who died after being struck by a lorry earlier this year.

North Herts Road Runners presented a cheque for £7,150 to Gillian Parker, the national development manager of charity British Blind Sports.

The charitable organisation enables visually impaired people to access and enjoy sport and recreational activities, across every age group and at every level, from those just starting out to those competing at the Paralympics. The club chose the charity in tribute to partially sighted member Paul Pearce, who tragically died earlier this year, aged 43. One of the country's top Paralympic athletes, Mr Pearce, who lived in The Crescent, Letchworth GC, died from multiple injuries while on a training run along the A507 Stotfold bypass. He represented Great Britain at the Paralympic Games in the marathon in Athens in 2004 and won gold at the International Blind Sports Association marathon world championship in the city the previous year.

The running club raised the money through donations, marathon sponsorship, coffee mornings and a charity disco.

Dave Ross, a member of North Herts Road Runners, said: "Paul played an active role in supporting the charity himself by coaching and raising funds for partially sighted and blind athletes and the club are pleased to have raised such a considerable sum of money.