LAURA Kerwood will certainly never forget the day she raised money for a good cause.

Laura, 27, from Beggarwood, spent the day blindfolded to raise money for charity Helping Hands for the Blind, and the Hope for Jayden appeal, which has raised money to help four-year-old brain tumour sufferer Jayden Scandrett.

Despite banking more than £350 for the two causes, Laura described the day as terrifying because she suffered a panic attack half-way through.

“I had never had a panic attack before – it was horrible, and truly terrifying,” Laura said. “I hated every moment of it because I was so terrified.”

Laura said her day started with a struggle to do basic tasks such as making toast but gradually took a turn for the worse as she became disorientated and felt increasingly exposed and vulnerable.

Laura, who works for Basing-stoke Voluntary Services, said a lunchtime break with a friend at McDonalds, inTop of The Town, was the hardest part.

“I asked for a sauce, but the one I tasted was different. It really scared me. I know it seems really stupid and a little thing, but it panicked me. I had no clue where I was, and felt really vulnerable. I have never felt fear like it before.”

Even in the 12 hours Laura spent as a “blind” person, she did find that her senses picked up.

She said: “I noticed a lot more. My hearing picked up. I could hear when people dropped money, or would know when someone walked into a room.”

Laura said the experience really gave her an insight into what people living with sight difficulties have to go through.

“You can’t take your eyes for granted,” she said. “It is the little things, such as moving things or changing something – it may not be a big thing, but to someone with a disability, it is a massive change.”