A special Christmas catch-up

Blind veterans from the Swansea area were treated to a Christmas celebration at the Swansea Veterans Hub. The event marks the end of a fantastic year of support shown to our veterans by the hub.

On Friday 28 November, 19 blind veterans gathered at the hub for a Christmas lunch and entertainment, all funded by the hub themselves.

CEO of the hub, Wayne, says:

“I served myself and it means a great deal to me to ensure we can look after all veterans and that includes being an inclusive and accessible space for blind veterans. It is so important to us that these veterans are integrated into our community and offering this Christmas lunch is part of that service that we provide.”

Support throughout the year

The Swansea Veterans Hub offers a space throughout the year for blind veterans to come together and gather. The space is offered to us to host our monthly meet ups and the hub provides drinks and food. Wayne says:

“At all times of the year the hub’s doors are open to blind veterans and their families. We pride ourselves on being welcoming and inclusive to all veterans. This year we’ve supported blind veterans in a number of ways including accessing funding for adapted laptops with specialist software so we can support vision impaired veterans with the skills needed in the 21st century such as online banking and shopping.

“In May, we held a special VE Day service for our blind veterans during which they played a big part and we printed the song sheets with larger text.”

Blind veteran Tony

Tony, 60, and from Swansea, is one of the veterans who we support and he's also supported by the Swansea Veterans Hub. Earlier this year, Tony and his fellow veteran friend, Dai, completed a fundraising challenge for both charities in which they made their way around Wales on public buses only. Tony says:

“I go to the hub every Tuesday and Saturday for a bacon roll and a coffee. It is such a fantastic space for veterans which gets me out of the house. The hub also supports me with transport to hospital appointments and supports me with technology which helps me to maintain my independence.”

Thank you

Beth, who works for us as a Community Support Worker, says:

“I am extremely grateful to the Swansea Veterans Hub for their ongoing support to Blind Veterans UK. Our veterans can sometimes feel isolated and lonely; to have a place that they can visit regularly, that not only gives them an opportunity to be around other veterans, but also goes above and beyond to ensure their staff understand their specific needs is truly special.”

Do you run a veteran's centre? Would you like to find out more about how you can support our blind veterans living in your community?