A YOUNG man who took his own life after losing his sight has been honoured by Worcester fitness groups.

Worcestershire Martial Arts, based in Shrub Hill Road, together with Worcester Tetsudo Club and Community Tang Soo Do Association, raised £1,700 for the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association in memory of Luke Elderton, who died aged 29 on November 28, 2016.

The groups took part in 100 one-minute rounds of sparring to raise the funds.

Club director and instructor Sally Gleaves was inspired to honour her fellow Worcester Sixth Form College classmate Mr Elderton after discovering he had died.

She said: “Luke’s sight impacted his life from the day he was born but the determined, intelligent, kind-hearted boy and young man travelled the world, whilst achieving his bachelors and masters of science.

“In 2015, Luke lost his sight and was registered blind in 2016 after numerous surgical procedures. The battle became too much after having to leave Durham where he found his feet with a life and job that he loved.

“Luke may have had the opportunity to have a guide dog if he’d have stayed with us and therefore the family are raising donations in Luke’s memory to sponsor a guide dog that they know will have an indescribable impact on the life of someone living with a visual impairment and allow them to follow this puppy from training, to naming, to having him/her living locally to us – keeping Luke’s light shining bright.”

Mr Elderton, who was from Wolverley near Kidderminster, was described as "a thoroughly nice boy" who "everyone loved" by his dad Dave.

Speaking on the fundraiser, he added: “It was so nice to see the five-year-olds sparing with each other."

Commenting on how devastating sight loss can be, Sight Concern Worcestershire's chief executive officer, Jenny Gage, said: “There is a grieving process with people when they lose their sight.

“If anyone has any friends or relatives struggling with their sight we have contacts and can match them up with other people in a similar situation. We serve people with a wide range of services including training to help them deal with sight loss.”

Anyone who is concerned about their own or another person’s sight loss can call Sight Concern Worcestershire on 01905 723245, email info@sightconcern.co.uk or visit sightconcern.co.uk.