Our Rustington Centre opening by HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh

In June, we welcomed our patron, Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh, to formally open our new centre in Rustington, West Sussex

Her Royal Highness visited the charity at our new south coast home in Rustington, seeing first-hand the difference the charity makes to the lives of our Members.

Blind Veterans UK Rustington Centre Manager, Lesley Garven MBE, said: “After an initial phased opening, particularly ensuring that our small number of permanent residents were settled in, the building is now operating at full capacity and welcoming blind veterans from across the country for holidays, themed and activity weeks and for specific training and rehabilitation.

“We had over 80 years of history at our Brighton Centre, but we’ve had such a warm welcome from the local community in Rustington that I know we’ll be making many new memories here.”

veterans and our new staff team here for our Royal Patron to visit and formally open our new south coast home.”

On her tour of the building, the Duchess met with veterans who served in the Second World War. She also met with archer Clive Jones, and tried her hand at mosaic making with Rustington resident, Woody.

Her Royal Highness assisted with the ceremonial reburial of a time capsule which had been dug up from our former centre in Brighton and marched to Rustington by a group of Members last summer. One of those Members, Mark Threadgold, was there to talk it through with The Duchess.

The time capsule, buried in 2015 to mark 100 years of Blind Veterans UK, contains items and documents detailing our history including a talking watch, the first piece of equipment offered to every Blind Veterans UK beneficiary. It’s set to be opened in 2115 - 100 years after it was originally buried.

The Duchess also unveiled a very special plaque, carved from wood and made by two Members, Peter Kay and Gary Stevenson, who have been supported by the charity to continue their hobby of woodworking. Her Royal Highness invited the pair to unveil the plaque with her.

Another Member given the opportunity to meet The Duchess was Alan Walker. Alan started the whole visit off when he was given the responsibility of raising the Royal Standard when the Royal party arrived. He also had the opportunity to talk to Her Royal Highness in our new gym.

Alan said: “I serve as a standard bearer for Blind Veterans UK, so it really is the ultimate honour to raise that Royal Standard for the time The Duchess of Edinburgh was with us.

“I was also proud to speak to Her Royal Highness and get across the impact

the charity has had on me since I lost my sight.”

Before leaving and thanking everyone at the centre, the Duchess became the first guest to sign our new visitors’ book. To sign the book, she sat in the very same chair made especially by a St Dunstaner for a visit of our former Royal Patron, Her Majesty The Queen, in 1975.

After speaking to a number of Members, charity officials, volunteers and staff, Her Royal Highness shared her impressions of the centre. She said, “What a perfect place, a sensorial place with wonderful surroundings. Here you’re getting a whole environment, inside and outside.

“So, thank you so much and I hope it will be a very, very happy place. Well, it already is.”