A WARRINGTON woman is aiming to become the first blind person to travel around the world on a motorbike. Cathy Birchall (pictured), from Old Hall, hopes to raise more than £250,000 with her unique trip, which will see her ride pillion across Europe, Asia, Australia and America.

She will be 'piloted' by Bernard Smith, an employee of the Royal National Institute for the Blind , who is planning to sell his home to finance the expedition.

A biker for 32 years, he estimates they will use 714 gallons of fuel on the 25,000 mile trip

Cathy, who is totally blind, will leave her guide dog, Biscuit, at home while she undertakes the journey, scheduled to start next spring. As well as raising cash, she hopes the voyage will help foster better relations between international organisations tackling visual impairment.

She said: "It's an incredible challenge, but a very worthwhile one. There are two million people with sight problems in Britain. Simple facilities such as software to enable reading and writing can make such a difference to our lives."

South Africa

Cathy and Bernard will head through Europe to Russia and on to India and China before making their way to Australia.They will then cross the Pacific by plane before restarting their journey in South America, continuing to Canada and then home.

En route, they will be dropping in on projects to help visually impaired people.

The pair will be raising money for the RNIB, Action for Blind People and Guide Dogs for the Blind - all of whom are backing the trip.

Cathy admits she isn't quite sure what to expect - other than being saddle-sore.

She said: "Bernard and I have been on a few trips to Europe, but nothing on this scale."

Anyone who wants to support them can do so at justgiving.com/worldtour.