A blind veteran from Dorset is taking on two 100km endurance walking challenges this year to raise money for Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for vision-impaired ex-Service men and women, which has given him his life back following sight loss.
Jerry Bradley, 63, and from Weymouth, will be taking part in the Jurassic Coast Ultra Challenge on 16 May and the South Coast Ultra on 5 September. Two ultras, totalling 200km and aiming to raise £2000!
In 2025 Jerry joined a team of blind veterans to take on the South Coast Ultra and crossed the 100km finish line in 28 hours and 16 minutes. He says:
“I found the South Coast Ultra mentally tough and I actually said, ‘never again!’
“I ended the challenge in physically good shape with zero blisters and able to walk normally but walking through the night and feeling like you were de-touring for food breaks was gruelling. We took eight breaks in total; they gradually increased in length. The final stop was an hour long for breakfast and lots of cups of tea.
“The organisation of the ultra events is incredible and the team behind it ensure that the events are accessible for those of us with sight loss.”
Anne, who works at Blind Veterans UK as a Volunteer Coordinator, was Jerry’s guide in 2025 and is joining him again for the two ultra challenges this year. He says:
“I am so grateful to Anne for her ongoing support. She has enabled me to have the opportunity to take on these challenges, find purpose and build my confidence.”
Jerry has gone from saying “never again” to taking on not one but two ultra challenges in 2026. He says:
“It was while on an outward-bound trip in the Lake District with Blind Veterans UK that I decided to sign up again and to join my fellow blind veterans for the South Coast Ultra once more. The camaraderie is fantastic and we all support one another to take on the distances we can manage. The training is fantastic for my fitness and for filling my time. I find the empty time, the hardest thing about my sight loss but I now go out walking five days a week.
“Sometimes I am joined by friends and other times I end up joining up with people that I meet while out walking. I’m lucky to have so many lovely walks where I live.
“I decided to take on the Jurassic Coast Ultra in addition to the South Coast Ultra as it’s local to me and I fancied giving it a go and the double challenge pushes me a bit further. There will be no time for hanging up my boots in between as I’ll need to keep my fitness up. I’m really looking forward to taking part again.”
Jerry served in the RAF for 13 years and during that time lived in nine different places. Difficulties with his sight surfaced in 1996 when he left the RAF but it was not until 2003 that he was diagnosed with Stargardt disease which is a genetic eye condition. He says:
“Everyone has one blind spot in each eye but with Stargardt disease you have three and mine are growing; I’ve lost my central vision. I also have Charles Bonnet syndrome which means I see things which are not there.”
The charity Blind Veterans UK began to support Jerry in 2024. He says:
“I was in a dark place at times; I was the only blind person I knew but since finding Blind Veterans UK my whole world has changed. Within five months I’d been go-karting, paddle boarding, axe throwing, ascended a climbing wall and been around a velodrome on a tandem bicycle. I have met other blind veterans and my sight loss no longer defines me.
“Before I discovered the charity, there were 4lots of things I thought I wouldn’t be able to do anymore but with the support of the charity’s staff and my fellow blind veterans, I now know it is not a case of not being able to do something, instead I ask myself, ‘How will I do it?’
“My confidence to try new things has grown. I’d never walked 100km in one hit but the effort of my other blind veterans motivated me to do it and now I’m back to do it again.”
Jerry hopes to raise awareness of the support offered by Blind Veterans UK and to fundraise so that the charity can support even more blind veterans.
If you would like to make a donation to support Jerry to reach his £2,000 fundraising target please visit his Just Giving page: (Insert link)
If Jerry has inspired you to take on your own ultra challenge in aid of Blind Veterans UK. You can contact fundraising@blindveterans.org.uk to find out more.
Blind Veterans UK supports thousands of blind veterans across the country, but 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/gethelp
