A man from Essex has raised over £2,000 for Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for vision impaired ex-Service men and women, by climbing the highest peaks of Scotland, England and Wales, as a tribute to his grandpa.
Benjamin Greenblatt, 37, and from Dunmow, took on the 24-hour National Three Peaks Challenge earlier this month conquering Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon all in 23 hours and 53 minutes. Transportation time between the three countries’ largest mountains are included in the 24-hour time restriction making the challenge exceptionally tough.
Blind Veterans UK supported Benjamin’s grandpa, Sydney Cohen, after he lost his sight. Benjamin says:
“I want to raise as much money as possible for Blind Veterans UK in tribute to my dear and beloved grandpa. He was an all-round amazing man loved by his friends and family and will always be remembered.”
In 1952, at the age of 18, Benjamin’s grandpa was called up for National Service and joined the Army, serving in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps. Sydney was discharged after two years with the rank of Private.
He lost his sight later in life due to adult vitelliform dystrophy in both eyes which caused blurring in his central vision. Benjamin says:
“Grandpa’s vision gradually got worse; he described what he had as blobs in front of his eyes that he struggled to see around. He began to receive support from Blind Veterans UK in 2021, the charity did a lot for him in the years before his passing providing incredible support, assistance and generosity.
“Grandpa played the ukulele and the charity supplied equipment that magnified his sheet music so he could continue to play and a boombox so he could listen to backing tracks.
“He was always very grateful for the telephone conversations, and in person meet ups, he would have with staff from the charity, especially his Community Support Worker Martha, these were an opportunity for him to talk about his Army days.”
Having completed the challenge and raised £2,331 so far for Blind Veterans UK, Benjamin says:
“With one mountain to go, I knew we were going to be cutting it fine to complete the challenge within 24 hours. I had to run the final stretch to the finish line and made it by the skin of my teeth with just seven minutes to spare.
“I want to thank everyone who has donated so generously and helped me to not only honor my grandpa, but to also support many more blind veterans like him. It means so much to me to have completed this challenge. My background is in weight training and natural bodybuilding but this was a relentlessly brutal challenge that tested the limits of my physical and mental capabilities!”
There is still time to support Benjamin and to help him raise even more money. Please visit his fundraising page: sydney-cohen.muchloved.com
Have you been inspired by Benjamin to take on your own challenge to support Blind Veterans UK? Visit the Blind Veterans UK website to find out more: blindveterans.org.uk/fundraise
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
