Blind Veterans UK members enjoy a photography holiday in Sheffield

Following the success of our last two photography themed holidays, the third photography holiday took place at Blind Veterans UK’s Sheffield Centre in September, with great success!

Members enjoyed a jam-packed week where they were able to learn new skills, discuss their photographic interests plus there were a few trips as well! Running Monday to Friday, the holiday began with participating members arriving at the Sheffield centre, all eager to take part. After the initial introductions it became clear that many Blind Veterans UK members already had photography knowledge and were eager to discuss what they wanted to achieve from the photography holiday.

During the week, guest speakers came in and worked with our blinded veterans. Photographer Luke Holroyd led a workshop on the technical elements of photography, from working out aperture settings and understanding shutter speeds, to demonstrating the best use of light and perspectives. Members were then able to practice using aperture and shutter speeds with classes on portrait photography and still life.

Russell, Sheffield centre’s IT instructor, was on hand to help members out with the digital side of photography, explaining the various ways photos can be uploaded to a computer and to social networking sites (great for our facebook and twitter members!); and Kate, Sheffield’s Rehabilitation Officer (ROVI), provided a demonstration on the various visual aids available to blinded veterans who are interested in photography, such as opticular glasses which can help the visually impaired to see the many camera buttons and menus on SLR cameras. No holiday is without a few trips! The group took outings to Chatsworth House and practiced capturing the lush surroundings and architecture of the famed stately home, along with visits to the Millennium Gardens and galleries and the canal.

By Friday members, although sad to go, had an enjoyable time and left with more confidence and self-belief in their photography skills and were keen to put into practice the many things they had learnt during the week. For more information about our rehabilitation activities, click here.

Sport and music items up for grabs at this year’s BFBS Big Salute auction

Blind Veterans UK is very excited about the BFBS (British Forces Broadcasting Service) Radio Big Salute auction on Friday 5 October, with money raised from the Big Salute going direct to five vital forces charities including Blind Veterans UK.

Get bidding now! There are more than 60 fantastic items being auctioned off, which are now live on eBay and via the bfbs website.

An Olympic torch, a Manchester United shirt signed by Rio Ferdinand, a meet and greet with Status Quo, a short break in Cyprus and tickets to watch the filming of Celebrity Juice – these are just a few of the exclusive items up for grabs.

Fans of sporting memorabilia can also bid on a wide range of lots including a cricket bat signed by Andrew Strauss and the England team from the 2011 npower Test Series. There’s also a football signed by members of Chelsea FC, a signed print of Nasser Hussein and a collection of goodies from Ron Haslam’s Race School.

If you’d rather be participating in a sport, choose from a polo lesson at Ascot Park, a riding lesson with Olympian Lucinda Fredericks, or reach new heights with a tandem skydive. Anyone serious about getting in shape can also bid for a six-month membership with British Military Fitness.

And if you’re after music mementos, the auction includes the unique BFBS Star Guitar – signed by eleven artists and bands – including Oritsé Williams from JLS, Cover Drive and Tony Christie, as well as items from One Direction, Tom Jones, PJ Harvey, The Christians, Nell Bryden and Beverley Knight.

Tune in to BFBS Radio on Friday 5 October and hear nine hours of live coverage from 10am to 7pm UK time, as the auction items draw to a close throughout the day.

Nicky Ness, Controller of BFBS Radio said: “The annual appeal for the Big Salute has become a big fixture in the BFBS diary and a huge amount of work has already gone in to ensuring another successful event. There’s a real focus amongst BFBS staff around the world to support these charities who do such great work within the forces community”.

Last year’s UK-based live auction raised more than £11,000, so to help BFBS make the 2012 Big Salute even bigger, view the lots and bid online via the BFBS Big Salute website at www.bfbs.com/bigsalute

Get bidding!

Archive discovery of the month: Charles Dickens and Blind Veterans UK

Charles Dickens has been widely celebrated this year under the ‘Dickens 2012’ banner with events including new TV and film adaptations of his novels, such as the BBC’s three part series of ‘Great Expectations’, exhibitions and many special events. But less well known is the fact that Blind Veterans UK used to have a centre called the Charles Dickens Home for Blinded Soldiers and Sailors!

Charles Dickens Home for Blinded Soldiers and Sailors

The centre, located at St Leonards-on-Sea in East Sussex and also known as Bannow House, dates from 1877 and was designed by the influential architect Richard Norman Shaw. Bought and equipped for Blind Veterans UK by the Dickens Fellowship, the association for people interested in the life and work of Charles Dickens, the centre opened in 1920 and was used by blind veterans who needed time for convalescence or who were long-term invalids.

So why was the Dickens Fellowship so keen to help our blinded soldiers and sailors? Looking through the Fellowship’s journal, The Dickensian, it reported on the purchase of the home “in conjunction with Sir Arthur Pearson’s Hostels”, who most notably is Blind Veterans UK’s founder. It was bought not as a “monument or memorial” but in an effort to apply Dickens’s teachings to present needs. The Fellowship had previously raised money to produce a number of Dickens’ books in Braille, and taken the decision to proceed with doing so for the rest of them.

St Leonard’s dining room

Dickens himself was certainly interested in the situation of blind people. Take a look through his stories, you’ll find the character Bertha Plummer, a blind dolls’ dressmaker, in ‘The Cricket on the Hearth’, and in the non-fiction book ‘American Notes’, he writes about his visit to the Perkins Institution for the Blind in Boston. There he observed the work that was being done with a young deaf and blind girl, Laura Bridgman, who later became a teacher at the school and famous in the United States as the first deaf-blind person to be educated there. Dickens was also an early supporter of the General Welfare of the Blind charity and paid for the production of 250 copies of his novel ‘The Old Curiosity Shop’ in raised letters for the use of the blind.

Sadly, we only had the Charles Dickens Home for a brief period of time. Falling numbers of those needing to stay there and financial pressures meant that the centre closed on 18 February 1922. The building was later used by the National Institute for the Blind (now the RNIB) and is currently a privately owned retirement home.

Have a look at the Dickens 2012 website for more information about the celebrations and accompanying events.

Many thanks to Liz Velluet of the Dickens Fellowship for her help in providing information for this article, and Rob Baker, Blind Veterans UK’s Collections and Archives Officer.

Blind Veterans UK celebrates one year in Llandudno

How time flies! Tomorrow, the Blind Veterans UK Llandudno centre will be celebrating its one year anniversary, and we could not be prouder.

In the past year, our Llandudno centre blind veterans have been given the chance to take part in some exciting activities. One of our favourite memories was when they took part in the strenuous trek to the top of Wales’ highest peak, Mount Snowdon, and had a tea party at its summit as part of the Tarts for Troops fundraising campaign in May. Highlights also include a fishing trip that saw members gain experience of fishing which was, for most of them, the first time they had fished since suffering from sight loss and vision impairment.

Other perks our Blind Veterans UK members have enjoyed are visits from Downtown Abbey star Lachlan Nieboer, a local school choir, the Military Wives Choir and a host of MPs, as well as a fantastic balloon releases day to mark World Sight Day, an annual day which aims to raise awareness about blindness and vision impairment.

Mark Lovatt, Llandudno’s Centre Manager, reflected on some of the highlights of the centre’s first year.

He said: “We have had an incredibly busy and eventful first year, which we have all loved every minute of. From the outset we decided to follow a ‘can-do’ philosophy – the idea that anything is possible, no matter what it is that our members would like try out or are hoping to achieve”.

“A good example is one of our members, Keith Roberts, who was initially very immobile and used to find it difficult walking up the hill to the centre. We decided it would be good to get him in the gym, to start building up his strength slowly. He has come such a long way and I now see him using a treadmill for exercise. It is amazing”.

“Also we have been extremely grateful for the support we have received from the local community which has included the help of many volunteers as well as students from local educational organisations”.

All of us here at Blind Veterans UK want to say a big thank you to all our members, staff, volunteers and local communities for making the Llandudno centre the success that it is.

Also if you have any stories about your time at the Llandudno centre, do get in touch!

Blind Veterans UK’s Simon Brown at the Paralympics homecoming in Leeds

Simon was at the Leeds Civic Hall on 13 September for the Paralympic homecoming celebrations and spent the day with Team GB para-athletes.

Simon met our amazing Team GB athletes. Here he is with wheelchair racer and double gold medallist Hannah Cockcroft, David Stone, the gold and bronze winner in the cycling road race and time trials powerlifter Ali Jawad and swimmer Claire Cashmore who won two silvers and 1 bronze medal.

Back row left to right: Claire Cashmore, Simon Brown and David Stone. Front row: Hannah Cockcroft and Ali Jawad.

Sheffield soldier boosts the Sean Reeve tribute fund in aid of Blind Veterans UK

A soldier from 38 Signal Regiment, the Territorial Army unit based at Manor Top in Sheffield, has organised a large donation to the Tribute Fund of Corporal Sean Reeve, a soldier who died in Afghanistan four years ago.

Major Stuart McHenery, the Officer Commanding 64 Signal Squadron, part of 38 Signal Regiment based in Sheffield, has through the generosity of his employer raised £10,000 for The Corporal Sean Reeve Tribute Fund, marking a significant boost for the Fund’s beneficiary, Blind Veterans UK.

In the late 1990s, Stuart was the Staff Sergeant of 884 Signal Troop based in Brighton, to which Sean Reeve transferred in from an Engineer unit, and they served together for several years. Sean died in 2008 from an IED in what was a notorious incident at the time, as it saw the first British female soldier killed in Afghanistan, and also triggered a review by the MoD of ‘Snatch’ Land Rovers being used in combat zones.

Major McHenery, said of the Tribute Fund: “In the spirit of the people of Sheffield, who have always been very generous and open hearted to soldiers, both in the TA and Regular, and thanks to the £10,000 donated by my employer, we can bolster Sean’s Blind Veterans UK tribute fund to establish a memorial which not only serves a very worthwhile purpose, but which also I know Sean would be extremely proud of”.

The Corporal Sean Reeve Tribute Fund was set up when his family were given money raised by his former teacher, Chris Jones, and some of the pupils of Cardinal Newman School to donate to a charity of their choice, Blind Veterans UK, in memory of Sean.

Terry Heaton, Manager of Blind Veterans UK Sheffield centre added: “Blind Veterans UK is enormously grateful for this very generous gift made by Sheffield based solider Major Stuart McHenery and his colleagues at Innserve, in memory of Corporal Sean Reeve. All money donated to the fund will go towards helping the charity to provide a lifetime’s practical and emotional support to blind veterans, regardless of when they served or how they lost their sight”.

To donate to the Sean Reeve Tribute Fund, please visit: www.blindveterans.org.uk/seanreeve

Thea Davies, girlfriend of fallen soldier, prepares to run 415 miles in aid of Blind Veterans UK

Thea Davies’ life changed forever on 26th May 2012 when her partner, 29 year old Captain Steve Healey of 1^st Battalion The Royal Welsh, died in action in Afghanistan.

While Thea would be forgiven for immersing herself in grief, she has instead chosen to honour Steve’s memory by undertaking a 415 mile, year-long running challenge to raise funds for his favourite charity – Blind Veterans UK. Thea came up with the figure of 415 miles as Steve was the 415th fallen soldier.

She plans to start the challenge with the London Parks Half Marathon on the 7th October 2012 and end with the Chester Marathon on the 6th October 2013 with the Bermuda marathon among others in between.

Steve was an active fundraiser for Blind Veterans UK because of the support that the charity gave to a number of soldiers who had lost their sight through IED explosions in Afghanistan. Just before his last tour he organised a blindfolded sponsored walk to our Llandudno centre.

Captain Healy was greatly respected. Defence Secretary Philip Hammond paid tribute to him saying: “The tributes of his colleagues speak of a true leader, one that was liked and respected to all those who served with him”.

Steve was immensely proud of what he and his regiment were doing in Afghanistan, he relished the job.

To find out more and to donate, check out Thea’s Just Giving Page: http://www.justgiving.com/415miles as well as her Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/415miles

Path to the Paralympic Games exhibition at Stoke Mandeville

Paralympics fever has hit the UK, including all of us here at Blind Veterans UK. We’ve been captured by Goalball, impressed by blind Judo and cheered on all our proud TeamGB athletes. It will be time to say goodbye to the games on Sunday when the closing ceremony takes place and the games head to Rio, but fear not, there is still a place where you can get your Paralympics fix!

Blind Veterans UK Rowing Team with member and later Chairman Ian Fraser

Stoke Mandeville Stadium, recognised as the home of the Paralympics, has an exciting exhibition charting the history of the games. Featuring archive photographs, films and artefacts from the Mandeville Legacy project and past Paralympians, as well as documents and photographs from the Blind Veterans UK archive, the exhibition takes a look at the development of the Paralympic games from its WWII origins to London 2012.

Blind Veterans UK sports day

Blind Veterans UK, formerly known as St Dunstan’s, have had a long standing history with the games and competitive sports for disabled groups, long before the formal beginnings of the Paralympics. Read all about it here.

Enjoy the rest of the games!

Exhibition details

Dates: Wednesday 29th August – Sunday 16th September 2012

Opening times: weekdays 2pm-6pm, Saturdays 9am-6pm, Sundays 11am-6pm

Venue: Lady Guttmann Bowls Centre, Stoke Mandeville Stadium, Guttmann Road, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP21 9PP

For more information, click here.

Blind Veterans UK Sheffield Centre hosts our 3rd Photography Holiday

Brighton Views by Keith Harness

This September, Blind Veterans UK members are making their way to our Sheffield Centre for the Photography Holiday; this holiday encourages our members to share their passion for snapping! But you may ask, how does it work when one can’t see?

Photography can be seen as impossible for a blind or visually impaired person, but this is absolutely not the case! Yes it’s a challenge, especially as the very nature of photography is visual; however anyone who is registered as visually impaired can become a photographer, being classed as a “blind photographer”. Blind Veterans members who have a passion for taking pictures can become blind photographers, learning how to pick up a camera, overcome the technical hurdles and capture beautiful images in this special tailor-made holiday course.

Copper Mines by Barrie Hathaway

Members are encouraged to find out what type of photography they are interested in, share their experiences with the group and discover new techniques and approaches, highlighting some real talent! The holiday is also a great place to discuss how blind photographers can work, and to explore why they pursue it despite the challenges.

Flower by Keith Harness

A selection of photographs from last year’s Photography Holiday can be seen at Brighton’s Artwave Festival (closes 9 September), and be sure to keep an eye out on the blog for some talented photographs from this year’s holiday, coming soon…

Royal Parks Half Marathon – cheering volunteers needed!

Calling all our Blind Veterans cheerers!

Cheerers are needed to come along and support our Blind Veterans UK runners in this year’s Royal Parks race, taking place on Sunday 7 October from 11am – 2pm.

Just bring your enthusiasm and a big strong voice and we will arm you with flags, hand clappers and balloons to cheer on our runners.

Get in touch with Jackson if you’d like to get involved! Jackson.medlow@blindveterans.org.uk or call 0207 616 7927