Guide dog owner set to be Radio 1's first blind presenter

A guide dog owner from Birmingham has been chosen to be a presenter on Radio 1, making her the station’s first ever blind presenter.

Lucy Edwards, 24, who has a YouTube channel and is a freelance reporter and presenter, will take over the morning slot on 28 and 29 December where she will be playing all of Radio 1’s greatest hits. 

Lucy, who will be joined in the studio by her guide dog Olga, says she feels a “sense of responsibility” as the first blind presenter on Radio 1. “I’m so excited to be representing the blind crew, the disabled community,” she says. She also commented:

Lucy is set to join Radio 1 after coming through the Radio 1 and 1Xtra search for new presenters – which will see 35 guests taking over the airwaves for five days over the Christmas period. 

As well as her YouTube channel, Lucy has worked on the BBC Ouch podcast about living with disabilities and has also contributed to Radio 4’s programme In Touch – which is about blind and partially sighted people. 

Outside of her radio work, Lucy has worked with Guide Dogs to create the Blind Hacks series on YouTube and won the Young Persons Achievement award at Guide Dogs. 

She has a condition called Incontinentia Pigmenti which affected her eyesight at a young age. She lost sight in her right eye at the age of 11, and in her left eye at 17. Lucy has been paired with her guide dog Olga since 2014.