Bands strike up to aid Middleton-in-Teesdale woman's marathon effort

A JOINT brass bonanza will push an upper dale marathon runner one step closer to her charity target.
Middleton-in-Teesdale’s Florence Spaven is aiming to raise £2,000 for the RNIB (Royal National Institute for Blind People) with help from Barnard Castle and Reeth bands.
The 24-year-old, who is partially sighted, will play the cornet in a concert collaboration on Sunday, February 12, before she runs the London Marathon in April.
Ms Spaven revealed both the bands and the venue, Glaxo Sports and Social Club, were offering their services free of charge. 
She said: “We have a few players that play in both bands and they’ve offered their time – I know the Barnard Castle Band want to support me and they also want to raise their profile.
“It is on the up and we have a lot more players than we’ve ever had.”
Ms Spaven, who works at Barnard Castle-based Northern Archaeological Associates (NAA), was born with very limited sight out of her right eye. Three operations to correct the defect have proved unsuccessful but she said her eyesight had not had too much of an impact on her life.
“Because you can see my eye looks different, quite often people think it’s something to do with the way I look rather than a visual thing,” she said.
“It’s helping the RNIB help other people understand how those with visual impairments are affected by their sight problems.
“I say I am blind and people react in a certain way but being blind can mean different things to different people.”
She explained how the emotional guidance the charity offered was almost as vital as their practical support.
She added: “It doesn’t really affect me too much but I understand how much of an impact it can have on people’s lives – that’s why I think it’s a worthwhile cause.”
Colleagues at NAA have boosted Ms Spaven’s total by naming the RNIB one of their designated charities in 2016.
The Scarborough-born heritage officer has gathered almost £1,300 so far ahead of her marathon.
“Hopefully by the time of the concert I will be half-way there in terms of the training distance,” she added.
“Fingers crossed people dig deep.”
The charity concert start at 7.30pm and a raffle will be drawn on the night.
Tickets are £3 on the door and are also available from A Cut Above, on Horsemarket.
To donate to Ms Spaven’s RNIB total go to the Virgin Money website, type Florence Spaven into the search bar and follow the link.