A BLIND man will pass through Reading as part of his epic attempt to row from Gloucestershire to Richmond.

In 2013 James Shone discovered he had a brain tumour during a medical examination prior to his appointment as headmaster at Monkton Prep School near Bath.

After 11 weeks in hospital and two massive operations, Mr Shone had lost most of his sight and was forced to quit teaching.

Rather than sink into despondency, Mr Shone set up the 'I Can and I Am' charity and began speaking about mental health.

Now, in a bid to raise money to start a one-to-one school mentoring scheme, the former teacher plans to row the Thames.

He said: “I want to help break the negative cycle so prevalent among young people today.

“I’m passionate about inspiring confidence in these young people and I’m hoping to extend my reach in to all sectors of society using funds raised from this project.

“We plan to raise £50,000 during the Thames Challenge 2017 to support projects within state secondary schools for both pupils and staff.

“We will focus on giving young people the tools to build belief in themselves and to develop the ability to deal with setbacks.”

The marathon trip begins at Lechlade in Gloucestershire on April 26, with Mr Shone heading from Pangbourne, through Reading and on to Henley on April 29.

He added: “I’m incredibly proud of all we have achieved so far for young people in the UK and I can’t wait to get started on the next stage of our journey.”

To support the endeavour, go to www.justgiving.com/campaigns/charity/ican-andiam/thebigrow