A FORMER aircraft engineer is using his mechanical skills to help the fight against the UK’s most common form of sight loss.

For the past year, Robin Louvel has been carefully restoring old or unwanted bicycles and selling them on to raise money for research into macular disease.

Robin, who lives in Downderry, is chairman of the Liskeard Macular Society Support Group. Last year, the group donated £2000 to the Macular Society, of which £400 had come in through Robin’s bike sales. And he’s made £400 so far this year.

The restoration project began when the group booked a stall at the Mount Edgcumbe Classic Car Show and Fayre, and received three old bikes that just needed a few repairs to get them working again.

’As well as having a background in engineering, I was a keen racing cyclist in my youth, so I worked on them and we managed to sell all three of them at the show,’ said Robin.

’Since then, I’ve had lots of donations of bikes and I’ve restored around 20 of them to date.’

Robin, 77, first got involved with the Macular Society after his wife, Maureen, was diagnosed with macular disease in 2012. The condition is the biggest cause of sight loss in the UK, with nearly 1.5 million people currently affected and many more are at risk. The disease can have a devastating effect on people’s lives, leaving them unable to drive, read or see faces. Many people affected describe losing their sight as being similar to bereavement, but there is still no cure and most types of the disease are not treatable.

The £400 made so far this year from Robin’s upcycling will help the Macular Society fund the research that could one day bring hope to sufferers.

He continued: ’Unfortunately, some bikes I receive are not salvageable – they’re either too old or have been left outdoors for too long. But if they just need a few repairs to make them usable again, like replacing brake cables or chains – simple things like that which are easy to fix – then I can usually do something with them.

’People have been very generous and when several have given me more than the price we’ve agreed because of what the money is being raised for.’

’It’s very different to working on jet engines, but I always like to have some sort of engineering project to work on, so I really enjoy it. I’m always looking for more bikes though.’

If you live in the area and have an unused or unwanted bike which you would like to donate, please contact Robin on 01503 250421.