A BLIND town councillor and former mayor is standing as a town and county councillor in Monmouth.

Terry Christopher, 61, of Shelley Crescent will contest the Drybridge ward – Monmouthshire’s biggest – for the Conservative party.

Mr Christopher, who has been registered blind for ten years, was born in Drybridge and has been a town councillor for eight years, serving as mayor of Monmouth between 2006 and 2009.

He is involved in several organisations within the community including the MonnowVale Service Users Focus Group and is chairman of the Citizens’ Advice Bureau and of the Monmouth Visually Impaired Group which he founded in 1978.

He chaired the town council’s environmental affairs committee between 2009 and 2011.

Mr Christopher was also a governor of Osbaston Church in Wales Primary School between 2004 and 2011.

Mr Christopher was born partially sighted and lost his sight ten years ago.

He was a pupil at a school for the blind in Bridgend but returned to Monmouth to work for Welsh Water as a store depot co-ordinator for 25 years.

After taking early retirement, Mr Christopher gained anNVQin business and administration at the Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford and took up a part-time post working in a hostel for the homeless until three years ago.

● The other candidates standing for Drybridge are Sian Damson, Plaid Cymru; Matthew Davies, Labour; Stephen Davis, Independent; Christopher Were, Green Party and Alan Wintle, Independent.