News

Blind veteran from Stowmarket to take on fastest zip line in the world for military charity

It was in 2012, following a car accident, that the doctors found a brain tumour behind Steven’s eye during an MRI scan. Following its removal, Steven would lose part of his sight. Unfortunately for Steven, a second tumour developed, again behind his eyes, with Steven losing yet more of his eye sight. He says: “I can currently see about three inches in front of my face, with no peripheral vision.”

While Steven, who joined the army at 16 as a Junior Leader, received plenty of advice on how best to cope with his sight loss, he maintains that it wasn’t until he got involved with Blind Veterans UK that he began receiving the practical support he felt necessary to lead an independent life again.

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Emmerdale star joins blind veterans to train for 100km ultra challenge

One of the stars of Emmerdale has joined several blind veterans as they trained for the 100k Yorkshire challenge, a 24-hour walk organised by Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for vision-impaired ex-Service men and women.

Jonathan Wrather, 48 and currently starring as Pierce Harris in the long running soap-opera, joined blind veterans Roan Webb, Mike Johnson and Steve Thomas as they trained for the ultra-challenge in the Yorkshire Dales. A former Cadet in the Combined Cadet Forces, Jonathan has long been an admirer of the charity and is looking forward to taking on the mammoth challenge, which he’ll be competing in as part of a relay team with fellow Emmerdale actors, Chris Chitell and Liam Fox.

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Mission Motorsport – 5th Anniversary

In 2017, Mission Motorsport is celebrating its 5th Anniversary. The Forces’ Motorsport Charity was launched at Thruxton Motor Circuit in 2012 in order to help those affected by military operations by engagement through sport. Since its inception, the charity has seen impressive growth, and has delivered over 3000 training days of sport for over 850 beneficiaries, leading to over 200 placements, and nearly 90 jobs.

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Blindness no issue for golf-playing veteran

A blind veteran from Knott End-On-Sea has been able to reignite his passion for golf thanks to Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for vision-impaired ex-Service men and women.

Myke Worthington, 55 and originally from Cheshire, was an avid player before his sight began to deteriorate and had all but resigned himself to the possibility that he’d never play again. He says: “I started receiving support from the charity in 2014 and if I’m honest, I didn’t think that playing golf would be something I’d be able to do again. I’ve got Retinitis Pigmentosa and wet macular degeneration and as a result I’m blind in my left eye with only half vision in my right. I’m also colour blind which meant the snooker career had to be put on hold too!”

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Another Successful Ski Week

In March 2017 we had a brilliant week with 23 new veterans and 20 buddies, ans welcomed back Carl and Martin B to the veteran support desk. We were a little worried about the ski conditions as the Alps have had a terrible year and this ski week wasn’t starting until the 11th March, the latest in the season we have ever had. But true to form we picked the best week of the year, as the day before everyone arrived we had 65cms of fresh snow.

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Blind veteran from Hampshire reaches semi-finals of the prestigious Holman Prize

A blind veteran from Hampshire, who has been invited to compete in the inaugural Holman Prize, has been selected as one of the semi-finalists.

Penny Melville-Brown OBE from Fareham was initially invited to compete for the $25,000 prize as a result of the profile she has built for herself across the internet and social media through her online baking project, Baking Blind. If successful, Penny intends to take the project global. First, however, she’ll be required to draw up a detailed plan of exactly how she’d intend to use the money if she were to win.

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Blind veteran from Aldershot to run 100 miles per month in 2017 for military charity

A blind veteran from Aldershort has pledged to run 100 miles per month this year, with the funds raised going to Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for vision-impaired ex-Service men and women.

Andy Leitch, 42, was convinced to sign up to the ultra-challenge by Joey Sharma, a long-time supporter of the charity who also reignited Andy’s own passion for running.

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Age no issue for Brighton students volunteering for military charity

Two students living in Brighton are relishing their time spent volunteering for Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for blind and vision-impaired ex-Service men and women.

Milena Murphy, 17 and currently at Brighton College, along with Dan Egelstaff, 18 and currently at Sussex University, started volunteering with the charity for separate reasons, though have each found the experience enriching and fulfilling far beyond their expectations.

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Blesma’s Grand Prize Draw Launch – Support our wounded veterans and you could win £1,000

Blesma is pleased to announce the launch of the Blesma Grand Prize Draw on 23 March which is back for its third year as part of the annual fundraising initiative Blesma Week.

Blesma Week is a national week of fundraising and awareness-raising which takes place during the first week in June when communities and companies around the UK get involved by joining Blesma challenge events and organising their own fundraising events.

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Launch of new online resource challenges employers to think differently about taking on ex-Service personnel

The Poppy Factory – the charity that helps injured ex-Service men and women find work – has launched a new online toolkit for employers.

The Employer Toolkit, funded by Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT), gives advice and guidance to employers, helping them to manage a workforce with complex health conditions – and aims to dispel the negative stereotypes of veterans and the problems they may face.

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Afghanistan support

In light of recent events in Afghanistan, please find information and support resources here