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Rock climber Gwynfor Roberts has faced more than his fair share of uphill struggles – not least when he returned to the sport after going blind.

The 52-year-old is currently competing in the paraclimbing world championships, something he once thought would never be possible after developing a genetic sight disorder.

“Rockclimbing had been my passion since I was 15 but I had to give it up because my sight got too bad,” he said. “It affected how I climbed. It affects how you do everything really. I stopped climbing for 12 years.”

Gwynfor, from Llanberis, Snowdonia, has macular dystrophy and started to lose his sight when he was 40.

He realised something was wrong while working as a computer programmer, when the cursor would suddenly “disappear”.

“I was devastated when I found out,” he added. “My sister went blind a few years before me and I felt a lot of compassion for her.

“But I never imagined what it would be like until it happened to me. It was a shock to say the least. My sister gave me some confirmation and hope but it was still a very frightening experience to through. I became very depressed.

“But having said that if I could go back as the 52-year-old me I would tell the 40-year-old me I would tell him it’s not going to be that bad. You think you your life is over but it’s not.”

Gwynfor compared his condition to “looking through a polo mint”.

He said: “Where you have the hole in the middle is what I can’t see.”

“What happens over time is the hole gets bigger and bigger.”

Although he didn’t become registered blind until 2008, Gwynfor stopped driving in 2005.

“I was too afraid. It’s scary driving when you can’t see properly,” he said.

Gwynfor always loved to be active in the outdoors. After he gave up rockclimbing he started cycling with his wife Paula, 50.

“We bought a tandem bike and Paula would ride on the front. One day we got talking to a group of walkers who struck up conversation by saying how unusual it was to see a woman on the front of the tandem!”

The chance encounter introduced Gwynfor to John Churcher, a member of the British Paraclimbing Team who gave him the opportunity to get back into the sport.

He said: “I had never heard of paraclimbing until we bumped into John that day. I was quite intrigued when he told me he was blind and still rockclimbing. I came home that afternoon and decided to research it.”

After discovering paraclimbing, Gwynfor started training at the Brecon Climbing Centre with climbing coach Mark McGowan.

As an experienced climber, Mark calls out directions from below to help Gwynfor find the holds he needs to scale the 17m wall.

After qualifying for the British paraclimbing team by taking third place at the national championships in May, Gwynfor was given the opportunity to compete at international level this week.

Although the British Mountaineering Council help to cover his costs, Gwynfor still needed to find funds to pay for travel and accommodation for Mark’s expenses, which is where his local credit union stepped in.

North Wales Credit Union which gave Gwynfor an £800 loan to cover travel and accommodation costs for his upcoming competitions.

He said: “It’s been amazing really. I have done some very exciting things. To have a second chance is amazing. I am having so much fun.”

To sponsor Gwynfor or to find out more about paraclimbing call 07986 396193.