Fantastic fundraising by our veterans in 2024

Throughout 2024 our blind veterans have been busy coming up with adventurous and creative ways to support and fundraise for the charity.

Their efforts and enthusiasm not only help us to continue providing our life changing support, but also provide them with opportunities to try new activities or revisit passions they thought were no longer possible.

Danny’s final skydive

In September, ex-paratrooper Danny made one final parachute jump at the age of 88 and raised over £2,700.

Danny jumped from 13,000 feet. He said:

“It was great, but I won’t be doing it again. It was completely different to what I did 70 years ago. Back then I was attached; the plane pulled the parachute for you after you jumped. We had to get down as quickly as possible; I would just want to get out of the plane as had a great big machine gun strapped to me and could hardly walk.”

Danny enlisted into the Army at the age of 17 in 1954. He wanted to join the parachute regiment for the excitement and thrill of making jumps into enemy territory. Danny said:

“After this jump, my legs were wobbly for two days. I managed to use that as an excuse to get out of all sorts of household chores. After the jump, the chaps I jumped with asked if I’d be back for my 89th birthday. Absolutely not!”

Danny was diagnosed with macular degeneration a few years ago and recently had cataracts surgery which has meant he has a small amount of sight in one eye. His wife Carol discovered our charity. Danny said:

“Blind Veterans UK has been brilliant; I’ve been provided with talking books and I attend local meetings with fellow blind veterans, and I’ve played bowls. Getting in touch with the charity is the best thing I’ve ever done which is why I wanted to do something to give back.”

‘Every Penny Counts’ campaign

In July, 78-year-old blind veteran John set up a fundraising campaign and called upon others to make ‘Every Penny Count’ to support our charity. To date he has encouraged 19 other supporters to get on board and fundraise for the charity.

John has been asking people across the country to save an old plastic milk bottle or cordial bottle and fill it with loose change which can then be donated to the charity.

Knowing he wanted to do something to support the charity, John said:

“Everyone has a milk carton, so I thought lets use it. Some time ago I remember the national news reporting that some people were discarding their 1p and 2p coins. Discarding them into our containers is a much better idea!

“I’ve decorated a label to stick on my milk carton and when visitors come to my home they will ask “What is that?” It’ll become a talking point and hopefully they will start to feed it too and maybe even decorate their own milk carton in their home. Every penny counts these days and if we work together those pennies will make pounds.”

John lost his sight in 2006 due to age related macular degeneration. Some time later he spotted a leaflet for our charity and applied for our support. He said:

“The year I began receiving support from Blind Veterans UK was life changing. I was lacking in confidence; I attended an introduction week at one of their centres and remember thinking that everyone else around me was so happy. With the support and encouragement of staff and my fellow veterans, I soon realised I could still do a million and one things I didn’t think were possible.”

You can read more of John’s story and find out how you can get involved in his campaign.

Ian’s ‘Blindfolded Bimble’

In June, blind veteran Ian organised a 6km ‘Blindfolded Bimble’ on the Isle of Wight raising over £500.

45-year-old Ian challenged a group of 30 walkers to pair up and take it in turns to complete 3km under blindfold while guided by their partner. The pairs then swapped roles for the return part of the walk.
Ian hoped to raise money for the charity but to also raise awareness and give people a small insight into the impact of sight loss. He said:

“I’m sure at the end, the walkers were very glad to remove their blindfolds; for blind veterans like me that isn’t an option. This is why the support given by Blind Veterans UK is so important.”

As the walk took place just days after the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Ian asked each pair to raise a minimum of £80. He said:

“I want to ensure that other veterans like me can receive life changing support for years to come.”

Read more about Ian’s sight loss journey and support from Blind Veterans UK.

Lawrence’s open garden

Lawrence, 85, served in the RAF between 1958 and 1961. He lost his sight around 20 years ago.

In August, Lawrence proudly opened up his garden to raise money for the charity while showing others what is possible after sight loss. He said:

“I’ve been a keen gardener since I retired and spend around six hours a day tending to my pots, hanging baskets, vegetables and lawns. I wanted to open up my garden for the day as I thought it would be nice for me to talk to one or two people and to show them what a blind veteran can do.

“My garden keeps me busy and this was the perfect way for me to do a little something to say thank you to the charity that has helped me so much.”

Group challenge – South Coast Ultra

In September a team of nine blind veterans joined forces to complete the South Coast Ultra Challenge to fundraise for the charity.

The team set off together from Eastbourne in Sussex and walked a range of distances from 25km to 100km.

The group’s aim was to raise awareness of the support offered by our charity, in particular the impact of experiences like the rehabilitation weeks offered at our centres in West Sussex and North Wales.

Ahead of the challenge, five of the group spent time at the Rustington Centre for one such week, building up their fitness and resilience to ready themselves for the mammoth task ahead of them.

Together the group raised over £1,000. Following their success, we will be supporting our blind veterans to take part in the event again in 2025.

You can read more about our veterans at the South Coast Ultra and find out how you could join them.

Coming up in 2025

Our veterans have fundraised tirelessly in 2024 and it looks like 2025 will be another busy year with many blind veterans wanting to take on their own challenges.

One such veteran is Tony. Tony served in the Army for 15 years with the Royal Regiment of Wales. 

He began being supported by the charity in 2022 after he lost his sight. In March next year, Tony is planning to tour around Wales on the buses and find places to pitch his tent for the night. He hopes that he will raise awareness for the charity and also raise money to help us support more blind veterans. He says: 

"It may not sound like a hard challenge to some but I can't see and I struggle to walk after having my toes amputated, so for me this is going to prove difficult but I want to give back."