Follow this link to the May highlights from Blesma.
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Follow this link to the May highlights from Blesma.
Read moreAn Army Reservist from Wandsworth is training to compete in a 100km walk from London to Brighton for Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for vision-impaired ex-Service men and women.
Major Drew Craig, Officer Commanding 579 Field Squadron Royal Engineers – part of 101 (City of London) Regiment, Royal Engineers – will be tackling the epic challenge with members of his squadron.
Read more(Andover, 31 May 2017) DMWS is deeply saddened and shocked by the attack in Manchester on Monday 22 of May. We are very proud of our Manchester based welfare officers who are providing a service over and above their usual work to help people affected by the attack. We are offering practical help and emotional support where it is needed. A listening ear to front line staff police, fire, ambulance, A&E staff who have been directly involved in attending and dealing with casualties as well as supporting the bereaved, the patients and their families.
Read moreEmployees of prosthetic provider Opcare will be completing a variety of cycling challenges on Friday 9 June to raise money for military charity Blesma, The Limbless Veterans.
The route options vary from just over 20 miles around Richmond Park in south west London, to the most gruelling challenge of cycling from Roehampton Limb Centre, London to the company’s head office in Birmingham 145 miles away in just one day. Some riders will join for the final 14-mile loop around Birmingham.
Read moreA blind veteran from Durham has been able to reignite his interest in museums with the help of a volunteer from Durham.
Michael Gray, 73 has been visiting various museums since January with Robin Trounson, a volunteer from Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for vision-impaired ex-Service men and women.
Robin says: “Michael likes museums but unfortunately his enthusiasm is not shared by his family, so he rarely gets the chance to visit them!
Read moreA team from scuba diving rehabilitation charity Deptherapy has recently returned from their largest ever and most successful programme yet.
14 wounded in service veterans, all suffering from life changing mental and/or physical injuries, took part in the Deptherapy programme in May at Roots Red Sea, El Quseir, Egypt.
Six veterans successfully completed the PADI Open Water course with five of these continuing on to qualify as PADI Advanced Open Water Divers during the week.
Read moreA blind veteran from Hampshire who has been invited to compete in the inaugural Holman Prize has reached the final round.
Penny Melville-Brown OBE, from Fareham, has been selected as one of the 11 finalists from over 200 original entries. Run by the San Francisco Lighthouse organisation, three winners will be awarded $25,000 to achieve their ambitions. Penny’s goal is to cook across six continents with her online Baking Project, Baking Blind.
Read moreA research seminar bringing world-renowned experts together to discuss sight loss was held in London this week (24/05). The “Life Beyond Sight Loss” Seminar was the first in a series looking at various research and innovation ideas in relation to blind veterans.
The seminar was part of an exchange programme called Project Gemini where members of the US organisation the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) will be visiting Britain to join Blind Veterans UK this week.
Read moreTwo members of staff from a national military charity have driven through an incredible 24 countries in just five days. The funds raised will be going to the blind veterans their charity supports.
Chief of Staff, Nathan Muirhead and Head of Transport, Chris Kirk are both employees of Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for vision-impaierd ex-Service men and women.
The drive, which took place from Monday 8 – Friday 12 May, saw Nathan and Chris take in an incredible 24 countries, including but not limited to, France, Switzerland, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia and Turkey. Chris says: “It was a huge challenge.
Read moreThe RAF Benevolent Fund, the RAF’s leading welfare charity, has announced the extension of its telephone friendship group service after a successful year-long pilot. The programme, open to ex-serving personnel and their dependants, connects like-minded people together over the phone, providing vital human contact that is often taken for granted.
The pilot scheme began in July 2016 using guests from the RAF Benevolent Fund’s respite home on the south coast, Princess Marina House. The trial involved three groups consisting of up to seven people per group, all of whom were over the age of 65.
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Afghanistan support
In light of recent events in Afghanistan, please find information and support resources here
