A Paralympian from Royston is encouraging people who are blind or partially-sighted to take up physical activity as part of the See Sport Differently campaign.

Georgie Bullen, 27, who has macular degeneration, has been playing goalball since she was a teenager and now competes internationally for Britain.

Goalball is designed for blind and partially-sighted people, and is played on a volleyball-sized court with a goal the full width of the court at each end. The aim is to throw a ball with bells inside into the opponent's goal.

Georgie is now encouraging others to get involved in See Sport Differently, which is a three-year campaign run by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) in partnership with British Blind Sport.

The campaign aims to tackle lower levels of wellbeing among blind and partially-sighted people by highlighting the benefits of physical activity, and demonstrating that sight loss does not need to be a barrier to participation.

Georgie said: “I’d say there is no such thing as a non-sporty person, you just need to find the right sport.

"Whatever the game, it’s not just to do with being fit or competing, but how it makes you feel.

"I enjoy goalball so much, there’s no way of replicating that adrenaline rush from winning a game."

New research behind the See Sport Differently campaign shows that blind and partially-sighted people are being put off from sport and exercise, and are twice as likely to be completely inactive as other people.

David Clarke, RNIB Director of Services and former Paralympics GB footballer, said: “I understand like most blind and partially-sighted people how beneficial it is to stay fit and active, but for many of us having sight loss makes it difficult to actually get involved in physical sport.

“It doesn’t have to be that way and through the See Sport Differently campaign we want to show people that there are local activities to get involved in and we are also looking forward to working with the sports industry to help create more accessible and inclusive sporting opportunities.”

For more information go to www.rnib.org.uk/see-sport-differently.