BFBS presenters run 10K with eyes closed

Nick and Milly are both presenters on BFBS, the Forces Station, based at Thiepval Barracks in Lisburn.

When they heard about the annual event in the city, they decided to take part, but wanted to make it a bit more challenging and a bit more fun.

They started with a visit to the fancy dress shop in Lisburn, where they settled on caveman and cavewoman outfits.

But still that wasn’t enough for the pair. So the next decision was to blindfold Nick and have Milly guide him round the course.

“I don’t really know how the idea came about,” explained Nick. “It was just a conversation that developed.

“We decided to raise money for the BFBS charity ‘The Big Salute’, which raises money for five different forces charities, including Blind Veterans UK so the blindfold seemed appropriate.

“We had done no practice beforehand and we have only known each other for six weeks so it was a matter of really trusting each other.

“I didn’t do any training. I did walk the Belfast Marathon a few years ago and ended up in A&E with sunburn!”

Both Nick and Milly were delighted with the support they received from the crowd and from their fellow runners, who gave them the encouragement to keep going when their will started to flag.

“I suffer from PTSD and hypervigilism, so being blidnfolded was a real challenge. Everything sounded very loud and close.

“I really relied on Milly and, apart from one incident with a traffic cone, she did really well.

“It was definitely a team effort. If it wasn’t for Milly I would have run into a fence at the first turn.”

The pair completed the course in one hour and fourteen minutes and Nick was delighted with the achievement.

“The atmosphere was brilliant,” continued Nick. “I was really flagging and the cheering kept us going.

“The stewards around the course were lovely, as were the children handing out the water. I wasn’t expecting people to be so supportive.”

So far the pair have raised £240 for The Big Salute but the money is still coming in.

If you would like to make a donation, log onto www.justgiving.com/millyandnick.

“It started out as a stupid idea that has turned into something really special,” added Nick.