A BLIND speed skier is in need of financial backing.

The world's first blind skier Kevin Alderton (pictured) needs to raise £60,000 for his training for the 2010 Winter Paralympics in Vancouver.

His sponsors withdrew support after warm weather led to a poor start to the ski season. However a company in Chatham has donated £500.

The 35-year-old, of Heather Drive, Dartford, was a soldier in the Grenadier Guards.

He was left with only four per cent of his vision after being beaten while trying to stop a gang attacking a woman in 1998.

The £60,000 would be used for two seasons of skiing in the French Alps.

He said: "If I do not get the financial backing I need to train and race in France, then it's all over."

To sponsor Mr Alderton or make a donation, call Mary Stuart Miller on 01483 738844 or email mary.stuart-miller@virgin.net