AN 86-year-old says she is determined to live her life to the full and continue her much-loved hobby of dancing after being told she was losing her sight.

Valda Johnston, from Rubery, was diagnosed with macular disease, the leading cause of sight loss in the UK, over a decade ago.

She has been registered sight impaired but despite the barriers of living with a visual impairment, Mrs Johnston has continued to lead an active lifestyle, notably through sequence dancing. And it is mostly thanks to the support she has received from a local sight loss group.

The 86-year-old grandmother said: “My sight loss hasn’t stopped me, I think once you know how to dance, you just do it, don't you?

“You don't need your eyes to learn to dance, you just have to listen to the music and listen to the instructor. If you are learning a new dance you might bump into someone occasionally, but it’s more a mistake in the routine. I can still make out people are there, just not see the finer details".

Mrs Johnston attends the Macular Society Barnt Green support group, which helps local people who live with sight loss and meets on last Friday of the month.

Mrs Johnston was a volunteer for the group for more than a decade, where she has found the help and encouragement from others vital.

She said: “It's nice to go and talk to other people who are in the same position as you, you help each other by giving tips, so maybe I can do things one way or somebody else has found a different way of doing things, which can help you as well. Everybody's cheerful and our group leader is very good, very helpful if I'm concerned about anything.

“I went there at first to help make the tea and I ended up just staying there for the support, to help others and that’s what it’s all about.”

The Barnt Green monthly meetings are held between 2pm and 4pm at the Parish Centre, Sandhills Road, B45 8NR.