A woman from West Yorkshire is set to run the London Marathon for Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for vision-impaired ex-Service men and women, to say thank you for the support it provided to her grandfather.
Kate Foster, 28 and originally from Cleckheaton and now living in Bromley, is running on behalf of the charity which provided her grandfather, Eric, with the means and confidence to lead a prosperous and independent life, despite his complete sight loss.
Read moreA blind veteran from Llandudno has received the highest honour from military charity Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for vision-impaired ex-Service men and women.
Billy Baxter, known to many in Llandudno as he serves as the Town Crier, received the honour at the Blind Veterans UK Founder’s Day Awards, held at the charity’s training and rehabilitation centre in Llandudno.
Billy, 53, was presented with the Ted Higgs Prize, considered to be the charity’s highest honour. It was given to Blind Veterans UK in memory of the late Ted Higgs, a blind veteran who lost all of his sight in 1944, whilst serving with the Royal Artillery in the Second World War. It was kindly donated by members of his family and the award is given to a war-blinded veteran in recognition of lifetime achievement with Blind Veterans UK.
Read moreIt 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.
Read moreOne 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.
Read moreA 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!”
Read moreA 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.
Read moreA 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.
Read moreTwo 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.
Read moreA physiotherapist and Team GB athlete from Sheffield is competing in the London Marathon this April for Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for blind and vision-impaired ex-Service men and women.
Steve Canning, 37 and originally from Haywards Heath, Sussex, will be competing in the world famous event for the third time, and will be running in honour of his Great Grandfather, Leonard Howell, who received support from the charity over 100 years ago and created a legacy which continues to inspire his family to this day.
Read moreA man from Dursley is training to compete in a 100k walk from London to Brighton for Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for vision-impaired ex-Service men and women.
Paul Breen, 33, is himself a veteran, having served in the King’s Royal Hussars for ten years. During his Service, he completed tours of Iraq, Northern Ireland and Kuwait, and it is largely due to his Service, as well as those he served alongside, that Paul finds himself preparing to take on the challenge.
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