Fundraising close to home

Rebecca walked 18 miles wearing a kilt in her home town of Aberdeen to thank us for the support we have given to grandad.

She completed the 'Aberdeen Kilt Walk" from Duthie Park to Bellfield Park in around seven hours. Rebecca says:

"Blind Veterans UK has given my Granda amazing support. Every time I speak to him, he tells me about his new adventures with the charity and his time away at their centre in Llandudno.

"My nana passed away in 2020 and my Granda lost a lot of his independence but being able to visit Llandudno helped him through the grieving process. Finding new friends, activities, and a sense of belonging has been a huge comfort to him."

Simon took on The Big Camel triathlon in Wadebridge which is a well known local event consisting of a 400m swim, 26km cycle and 5km run. 

This was an opportunity for Simon to push himself, raise vital funds for charity in memory of his parents and to dress up as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle for the occasion as a nod to his own military days.

A real life "hero in a half shell", Simon says:

"I ran the last kilometre of the triathlon with the turtle costume hood zipped up; I could see very little through it. I wanted to experience and appreciate what it's like to live with sight loss. I was very emotional at the end.

"The fancy dress was a nod to my military past, 20 years ago those of us on the physical training course went on a night out dressed in turtle costumes so it seemed fitting to wear the outfit again."

Friends and work colleagues James, Aled and Tom from Llandudno saddled up and cycled around Anglesey.

The ride took them two long ten hour days to complete starting and ending at their place of work, Gwynedd Forklifts in Mochdre. 

James completed a 140 mile walk around the Anglesey coastline in 2020 to fundraise for us and was keen to get out and explore the island again with friends by his side. Tom says:

"We had fun and created amazing memories while raising an incredible amount of money for Blind Veterans UK which was extremely rewarding and fulfilling. We hope we can motivate others to go a little out of their comfort zones to do their own challenge."

Blind veteran Ian organised a 6km fundraising walk with a difference on the Isle of Wight. He challenged walkers to pair up and take it in turns to walk under blindfold while being guided by their partner. He says:

“I think those who took part were surprised how vulnerable they felt when they put on their blindfolds and started walking. They really had to trust their partner to warn them of obstacles and changes in gradient and surface type.

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