Palace date for Exeter blind veteran
A blind veteran from Exeter will celebrate Blind Veterans UK’s 100 year anniversary at a special garden party at Buckingham Palace on 4 June.
John Evans, 60, will be visiting the palace with more than 1,000 other veterans helped by Blind Veterans UK, to mark the military charity’s 100 years of proud service and support to blind and vision-impaired ex-Service men and women.
He served in the Royal Air Force from 1972 until 1978, working as an Engineer at RAF Bicester and RAF Abingdon.
In 1999 John was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a disease which gradually causes sight loss.
John started receiving help and support from Blind Veterans UK (formerly St Dunstan’s) in 2012 after he read about the charity’s name change in a military magazine.
John says: “I was having a hard time. Ten years into losing my sight and I felt like a waste of space. Blind Veterans UK picked me up and showed me what was possible.
“The weaknesses that crept in before, I’m now trying to beat with the support of Blind Veterans UK.”
John and his wife Janet will be joining other veterans supported from Blind Veterans UK at a special garden party at Buckingham Palace in June.
John says: “I’m really looking forward to it. I am proud to be part of such an amazing organisation.”
Blind Veterans UK was founded in 1915 and the charity’s initial purpose was to help and support soldiers blinded in World War I. But the organisation has gone on to support more than 35,000 blind veterans and their families, spanning World War II to recent conflicts including Iraq and Afghanistan.
For 100 years, the charity has been providing vital free training, rehabilitation, equipment and emotional support to blind and vision impaired veterans no matter when they served or how they lost their sight.
Chief Executive of Blind Veterans UK, Major General (Rtd) Nick Caplin CB, says: “All of us at Blind Veterans UK feel both honoured and very proud to celebrate our Centenary at such a special event. It will be a fantastic day for our veterans, whatever the weather!
“This anniversary also provides the opportunity for us to look forward to the challenges that lie ahead for Blind Veterans UK. It is a critical time for our charity as the number of blind veterans we support is increasing; in the past year, more blind veterans have registered for our help than ever before in the charity’s history and this trend is set to continue.”
Visit blindveterans.org.uk to learn more about the charity’s 100 year history and how you can support its vital work today.
