ITV's Love Island praised by Harrogate charity as first-ever partially-sighted contestant enters the villa

Sight loss charity Henshaws, which is based in Harrogate, hailed ITV for including a visually impaired person on its dating show Love Island – a first for the programme.

Ron Hall, 25, a financial advisor from Essex who suffered an accident while playing football when he just eight, was shown to viewers entering the villa on Monday’s opening episode.

Now Henshaws, who help those with visual impairments as well as other disabilities at its college in Starbeck and its arts and crafts centre in Knaresborough, say they hope the move will raise important discussions around sight loss – including showing how it doesn’t need to hold you back.

Stephen Tongue, Henshaws Director of Fundraising, said: “We welcome ITV’s addition of Ron Hall to Love Island as a positive step when it comes to those living with a visual impairment.

“We hope the show can help raise awareness around sight loss and address some of the long-standing sight loss myths.

“We look forward to following Ron’s progress while he is on the programme.”

When it was announced Ron was to go on Love Island, he told the public about an incident while playing football which left the retina of one of his eyes detached.

He went down to ‘head the ball’ while a fellow player came up with his foot.

When he went to hospital the following day, they told him it should be fine, but after a number of operations it later emerged that Ron would lose his sight in the affected eye.

Since then, he has maintained a positive outlook and even says the accident has had some advantages.

“Losing your sight or becoming visually impaired can be devastating for the person affected,” said Stephen Tongue of Henshaws.

“Ron is a courageous man who we know will help those who have experienced partial sight loss or cannot see at all.

“With millions of viewers watching Love Island, we hope his inclusion will steer positive discussions around people with visual impairments.”