Soldiers take on 48-hour test
Twenty soldiers from Ripon-based 21 Engineers regiment took part in a 48-hour challenge for Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for blind and vision-impaired ex-Service men and women.
Thursday, 3rd June 2021, 3:09 pm
Sergeant Keith Bryson, 31, and from Doncaster, decided to organise the challenge after Simon Brown, a blinded Iraq war veteran who is supported by the charity, led a Teams call back in February.
Keith said: “Simon served in our regiment and talked about his experiences as well as the help he received from Blind Veterans UK.
“Naturally it was an easy decision to do something to contribute towards such a beneficial charity.
Martin Bell giving his talk to blind veterans from the North-East MARTIN Bell OBE hosted a private talk for a group of 20 blind veterans with an interest in military history, providing some much-needed entertainment as this period of self-isolation continues. Streamed on Microsoft Teams, the blind veterans from the North-East with an average age of 83 were able to join the call via telephone. Mr Bell vividly described his time in National Service before moving onto his war reporting days in Vietnam, Bosnia and various other conflicts, ending with his memories as a Member of Parliament. He said: “Having reported extensively from the front line, I’ve seen first-hand the sacrifices that members of our armed forces make to keep us all safe.
“It’s going to get very challenging. But when I finish, I know 100 per cent that it will be the best feeling that I’ve had in years,” Jacob said. “I’ll be thinking of my grandad all the way through and it’ll be an honour to pass on the funds to the charity that helped him out so much. “So far I’ve raised £1,200 towards my £1,400 goal. Any support that anyone can offer to help me hit my target would be hugely appreciated.” Blind Veterans UK has adapted its service to support its 5,000 beneficiaries, 90% of whom are over 70 and at an increased risk from Covid-19.
A CENTRE for blind veterans in Llandudno has helped to deliver food to residents. Blind Veterans UK’s training and rehabilitation centre has been supporting the Llanfairfechan Foodbank since December on a weekly basis. The food bank is a community led organisation which helps many families and individuals in the local area and, as for many organisations, the Covid-19 pandemic has put a strain on resources. Mike Priestley, Marl ward county councillor and volunteer transport driver for Blind Veterans UK, has been delivering food out to the local community as part of the partnership. “I would like to thank everyone at Blind Veterans for their support and giving me the opportunity to help some of our residents during these very difficult times, he said.
A WOMAN from Llansantffraid ran every day in December and managed to fundraise four times her original goal of £250, donating £1,000 to the charity that supports blind and partially sighted ex-Service men and women, Blind Veterans UK. As well as running every day, 35-year-old Sam Bunning took on a series of increasingly challenging targets from a 5k to a half marathon. After hitting her original goal of £250 quickly, Sam decided to add the extra challenge of running 100 miles in the month of December and increased her target to £1,000. Sam said: “After three weeks of running every day, an old knee issue flared up on Boxing Day which put a bit of a spanner in the works for the half marathon. So, to make sure I completed the challenge, I shared the half marathon with my husband, alternating 3km stints.