SeeAbility board member with Leber’s Optic Neuropathy to climb 24 peaks in 24 hours

A blind lawyer is teaming up with the chair of SeeAbility to climb 24 peaks in 24 hours.

Michael Smith, 33, and his sighted guide, SeeAbility chair Jack Stacy, are hoping to raise £150,000 to mark the charity’s 225^th birthday.

Smith, who is registered blind, lives with Leber’s Optic Neuropathy and only has around 10% of his vision.

The condition, which Smith’s twin brother also suffers from, caused him to rapidly lose his sight at the age of 19.

Smith and Stacy work together at Revantage Real Estate, an affiliate of private equity group Blackstone.

Michael Smith (left) and Jack Stacy (right) practice running ahead of their 24 peaks challenge

Stacy is chair of SeeAbility, a role he took on in 2023, whilst Smith recently joined the board of the charity.

They will embark on the challenge on 7–8 September and will be tethered together, with Stacy providing Smith with sighted guiding and support.

The peaks they plan to climb include Scafell Pike, the highest mountain in England.

The men are expected to ascend 12,000 feet, and the route will cover at least 28 miles.

Part of their training has included developing a set of verbal commands to communicate the terrain around them, so Smith can picture it in his head.

Smith said: “I don’t have much usable vision and haven’t got any depth perception, so Jack will be planting his feet on the ground and then telling me where to plant mine. He will be my eyes. I will be reliant on him every step of the way.”

Stacy also has personal experience of the work that SeeAbility does.

His brother Matty, who was born prematurely and has complex learning disabilities and sight loss, has been supported by the charity for 24 years.

Stacy said: “We believe passionately that this isn’t just about scaling mountains. This is about challenging what we expect from life.”

Society often expects very little from people living with learning disabilities, autism or sight loss, he said, but “SeeAbility challenges those expectations and supports hundreds of people like my brother Matty to live in their own homes, lead a life of independence and choice, have ambitions, and realise their dreams.”

He added: “Crucially, they pave the way for a more inclusive society through their awareness-raising work."

Stacy hopes that the 24 peaks challenge will highlight the “ambitious and life-changing work” that SeeAbility does.

Smith added: “When we stand at the foot of the first mountain, I think it will bring back some memories for both of us about what it was like at the start of our own personal journeys, when sight loss hit our families, and the guide rails were taken away. The experience was so frightening and all-encompassing, and that’s how I imagine this challenge will feel.”

SeeAbility helped him come to terms with the trauma of sight loss and eventually lead a normal life, Smith said.

He is sharing his sight loss story to inspire others and help challenge perceptions about living with sight loss.

SeeAbility’s chief executive, Lisa Hopkins, said that she is in awe of the challenge that Smith and Stacy are taking on.

“The money they are raising will help our work enormously, and we thank everyone who is so generously sponsoring them,” she said.

Smith hopes that having an existing working relationship with Stacy will lead to harmony on the peaks.

“Jack and I have a symbiotic relationship – we’re used to working in tandem with one another, and I trust him wholeheartedly,” he said. “What am I bringing to the party? I’m bringing morale, as Jack can be quite grumpy. I’ll be like a 24-hour podcast. We’re a bit like Shrek and Donkey.”

Smith and Stacy’s JustGiving page can be viewed here.