A MAN who is slowly losing his sight has been inspired to run the London Marathon after undergoing months of physiotherapy to help him recover from a badly broken leg.

Jonathan Wensley, who suffers from a degenerative eye condition, hopes to raise more than £1,650 for the Royal National Institute of Blind People, an organisation he may need to call on if his eyesight deteriorates.

The 33-year-old was diagnosed with optic disc drusen in 2011. The condition can lead to blindness as a build-up of calcium deposits over the optic nerve leads to sufferers losing peripheral vision over time.

Mr Wensley, of Titus Street, Saltaire, fell while running at night in August 2013. The aftermath of his subsequent injury was the impetus for his current fundraising efforts and first marathon.

He said after breaking his leg, he decided the time was right to take on the challenge to raise money to help people live life to the fullest.

"I broke my leg when I was running late at night, misplacing my footing which caused me to fall shattering my leg on the pavement. It turned out I had fractured my tibial plateau at the top where it meets the knee.

"Due to the difficult nature of the break I needed to have surgery to fit a metal plate and screws to my leg which are with me permanently.

"I was on crutches for three months and had physio for approx seven months. During this time I had put weight on, couldn’t walk without a limp and certainly couldn’t run. Eighteen months or so on and I'm training for the London Marathon."

Following his injury, he was advised without frequent exercise his leg could stiffen up, which had been the key factor in getting his running shoes back on.

Mr Wensley has been using an RNIB running plan to build up his fitness and managed to run 15.5 miles at the weekend.

"I'm running three to four time a week and am currently on schedule with the plan," he added.

The health and safety manager for a food manufacturing company in Wakefield, has already garnered more than £400 in sponsorship ahead of the April 26 marathon.

Anyone wishing to support him should visit www.justgiving.com/Jonathan-Wensley to sponsor him.