For those of you who came to the Birdshot Day on Saturday, 3 March, you will have heard Mike Brace with his inspirational opening speech to the Day.

Mike is the BUS professional Advisor. He has long experience in running charities, and he is currently the Chief Executive of VISION 2020 UK which is an umbrella organisation that facilitates greater collaboration and co-operation between organisations that work with people who have eye and vision problems. BUS is a member of VISION 2020 UK.

Mike is helping us to ‘grow’ BUS and is our main speaker for any events we hold. He has been blind from a young age, but that has not stopped him becoming a medal winning Paralympian and he was awarded a CBE for services to sport. He is working on the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.

To celebrate his impending retirement, Mike and two other Chief Executives of charities working with people who have eye problems have decided to take on an extreme challenge to raise money for sight loss causes.

The three of them are calling themselves ‘The Three Tenners’ (and he promises not to sing!). Mike has already competed in a game called Boccia and is about to compete in the Goal Ball challenge this Friday 9 March. He then goes on to a rowing challenge, sailing (he says he hopes to manage this without a seeing guide, so stay out of his way if you see him on the water!), tandem riding, judo, shooting (ohoh – another place to stay away from!), track and field athletics and ‘sound’ tennis.

Mike is truly inspirational and has been such enormous help to us.

If you want to donate to his magnificent fundraising event, go to his Be My Charity page at

http://www.bmycharity.com/3tenners