Doing it for our veterans and himself

What do you have in store for 2024? Supporter Ben is busy preparing for the London Marathon, not only to raise money for our veterans but also to achieve his own personal weight loss goal.

Why not follow Ben's lead and take on your own challenge for our veterans and for yourself.

In October 2022, Ben, who is 29 and from Hampshire, made the decision that he had to do something about his weight which was having an impact on both his physical and his mental health. Ben says:

“Enough was enough, at 26 stone, I was finding life difficult, and I wanted to set a healthy example for my two children.

“I decided to lose the weight and to train for the London Marathon. To begin with just the thought of stepping inside a gym scared me. I could barely walk up the stairs at that point but now my health has been greatly improved and I am so proud of what I’ve achieved.”

Training for the marathon is helping Ben with his weight loss and is providing him with extra motivation to reach his goal.

Ben is running to raise money for our charity as we've supported his great grandad for the last 14 years.

His great grandad, who is now 94-years-old, served in the RAF between 1947 and 1955. He lost his sight due to glaucoma and now lives in a care home and is regularly visited by Ben. Ben says:

“Blind Veterans UK gave my great grandad more freedom after he lost his sight, they helped him greatly to be able to continue to access his computer which for him was his independence. Sadly, he can now no longer use a computer but it made him very happy while he could.

“My great grandad regularly wears his Blind Veterans UK tie with pride and that is how I will feel wearing their running top for the marathon."

Has Ben inspired you to set yourself a New Years Resolution and take on a challenge for our blind veterans and for yourself? In addition to providing an opportunity to raise funds to support our blind veterans, taking on a challenge or fundraising activity also provides the motivation to break old habits and adopt new ones as well as being the perfect excuse to do something for ourselves.