A local military charity is set to exhibit a range of art produced by its veterans as part of the annual Helfa Gelf Art Trail, North Wales’ biggest open art studios event.
Blind Veterans UK, the charity for blind and vision-impaired ex-Service men and women, will be showcasing work created in its training and rehabilitation studio located within its centre in Llandudno.
Blind Veterans UK, which provides free lifelong support to its beneficiaries, has long considered the study of art an essential element of rehabilitation when enabling life beyond sight loss. Visitors to the charity’s studio will be given the opportunity to discover first-hand how the barriers posed by sight loss can be overcome by engaging with a variety of art disciplines.
Victoria Beech, Regional Fundraiser for Blind Veterans UK, says: “We really hope that our participation in Helfa Gelf will get people thinking about how, with the right support, disabilities such as vision-impairment can cease to be a barrier to exploring arts and crafts.
“We hope that we can inspire others who have a vision-impairment to get involved with art. Arts and crafts, along with many other hobbies, are an incredible way of providing people with sight loss the confidence, self-belief and independence necessary to lead independent lives.”
A wide and varied range of arts and crafts will be on display and available to purchase. Refreshments will also be available. The Blind Veterans UK studio will be open on Saturday 16 September from 10:00 to 16:00. Entrance is free.
To find out more contact Victoria Beech on Victoria.beech@blindveterans.org.uk or 01492 864574. Additionally, you can visit: blindveterans.org.uk/arttrail and helfagelf.co.uk/artists/blind-veterans-uk-llandudno-centre.
Blind Veterans UK was founded in 1915 and the charity’s initial purpose was to help and support soldiers blinded in the First World War. But the organisation has gone on to support more than 35,000 blind veterans and their families, spanning WWII to recent conflicts including Iraq and Afghanistan. They have set the ambitious target to double the number of veterans receiving its life changing support to over 8,000 by 2022.
For more than a century, the charity has been providing vital free training, rehabilitation, equipment and emotional support to blind and vision-impaired veterans no matter when they served or how they lost their sight. Visit blindveterans.org.uk/support to learn more about the charity and how you can support its vital work today.
For all media enquiries please contact: Felix Arbenz-Caines, PR Assistant, Blind Veterans UK, 12 – 14 Harcourt Street, London, W1H 4HD, E: Felix.Arbenz-Caines@blindveterans.org.uk, T: 020 7616 7941
Notes to Editor
Blind Veterans UK
Blind Veterans UK is a national charity that believes that no-one who has served our country should have to battle blindness alone. Founded in 1915, the charity provides blind and vision impaired ex-Service men and women with lifelong support including welfare support, rehabilitation, training, residential and respite care.
Find out more at: blindveterans.org.uk, follow us on Facebook at: facebook.com/blindveteransuk and on Twitter at: twitter.com/blindveterans.
