A military charity is launching a campaign for Armed Forces Day this Saturday (24/6) to pay their respects to ex-Service men and women who lost their sight while fighting for their country.
Blind Veterans UK will display the emotive portrait photographs of nine veterans who lost their sight in conflicts including the post Second World War period, The Falklands, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan, on Armed Forces Day, Saturday 24 June.
The charity worked with out-of-home specialist OOhyes and media owner London Lites to get the campaign up across huge digital screens in key locations across the capital including Shoreditch, Waterloo, Brixton, Kensington, Wimbledon and Clapham.
One of the veterans featured in the campaign is Simon Brown, who lost his sight when he was shot through the face by a sniper while leading a mission to recover six stranded colleagues in Iraq.
He says:
“Remembrance is an important time of year when we commemorate those we’ve lost. Armed Forces Day gives us the opportunity to celebrate those who are still with us and put themselves in danger to protect us.
“These portraits highlight both the tragedy and triumph of our veterans in Service and recovery.
“I’m proud to be a part of this campaign to show Service personnel and veterans that we’ll be here for them when they need us.”
The campaign directs people to the charity’s website blindveterans.org.uk where they can read the stories of the veterans featured in the campaign.
The charity worked together with award-winning photographer Richard Cannon to capture the portraits. He says:
“It was an honour to photograph these heroes who gave so much for their country. When deciding on how to approach the portraits of the blind veterans, I wanted to give them a sense of pride and presence in the final image.
“So I shot them slightly below the eyeline to give them a more powerful look. The viewer will then get a sense of respect and admiration for these brave individuals.”
Founder & CEO of OOhyes, George Rossides, says:
“OOhyes was founded on the belief that every business has a role to play in facilitating positive change. So I’m delighted to have planned this campaign for Blind Veterans UK on Armed Forces Day.
“The portraits capture the strength and resilience of the veterans that Blind Veterans UK supports and they look incredible on London Lites’ large format digital sites.”
Blind Veterans UK supports thousands of blind veterans across the country, but the charity knows there are many thousands more who still need its support to rebuild their lives after sight loss.
If you, or someone you know, served in the Armed Forces, including National Service, and are now struggling with sight loss, then please get in touch. Call 0800 389 7979 or visit blindveterans.org.uk/support
