A woman from Warwickshire will be taking on the challenge of walking 100 miles over two weeks on board P&O Cruises flagship Britannia, as it sails through the Caribbean and across the Atlantic back to Southampton.
Anne, a 59-year-old Community Support Worker for Blind Veterans UK in Rugby, tracks her steps with a wearable device and so knows how big a challenge it’s going to be: “I average around 50 miles per month so to do double that in two weeks is going to be tough. However when I read about the ship and its sheer size, I realised that I’d be able to hit my goal, while travelling through one of the most picturesque regions on the planet.”
Anne flies to Barbados on March 16 where she’ll step aboard the ship which will take her to St Lucia, Antigua, Saint Kitts and The Azores, before sailing across Atlantic and arriving back at Southampton on March 29.
P&O Cruises president Paul Ludlow says: “We’re absolutely delighted that Anne has chosen to do her 100 miles on board Britannia. With 15 passenger decks, a fully equipped gym and plenty of exploring ashore, there will be lots of opportunity for her to achieve the 100 miles!”
Anne is challenging herself as she enters her 60th year and wants to raise awareness of the work done by Blind Veterans UK to transform the lives of vision-impaired ex-Service men and women across the UK.
She says: “I’ve seen first-hand how Blind Veterans UK changes lives and wanted to raise awareness by taking on a challenge. I thought what better time as I enter the 60th year of my life. I’m in awe of people that do challenges for great causes and love walking so saw it as a great opportunity.”
Blind Veterans UK has dedicated the month of March to veterans under the header of ‘March for Veterans’. With a variety of fundraising opportunities available including virtual walks, physical walks and fry up events, the charity hopes to raise awareness of the 50,000 isolated blind veterans across the UK who often go for days or even weeks on end with no one to speak to or to help them perform essential tasks.
You can track Anne’s walking progress and support her fundraising efforts at her everydayhero fundraising page.
Blind Veterans UK helps vision-impaired ex-Service men and women of every generation rebuild their lives after sight loss. Since 1915, the charity has provided rehabilitation, training, practical advice and emotional support to tens of thousands of blind veterans.
It currently supports more blind veterans than ever before in the charity’s history, but it knows there are many more who still need its support to rebuild their lives following their sight loss. The charity has a dedicated community team in Warwickshire who provide support including training, equipment and social events for vision-impaired ex-Service men and women in the local area.
For all media enquiries please contact:
William Witt
Regional Marcomms Executive (East)
E: william.witt@blindveterans.org.uk
T: 07599 556 664
Notes to Editor:
Blind Veterans UK helps vision-impaired ex-Service men and women of every generation rebuild their lives after sight loss. Since 1915, we’ve provided rehabilitation, training, practical advice and emotional support to tens of thousands of blind veterans.
Find out more at: blindveterans.org.uk and follow us on Facebook at: facebook.com/blindveteransuk and on Twitter at: twitter.com/blindveterans.
