Remembrance 2025: Honour their service, support their future
As a charity supporting thousands of ex-Servicemen and women, the National Service of Remembrance remains one of the most important events in our annual calendar.
We honour the service of our heroes with everlasting gratitude, paying tribute to all those who gave their lives for their country. This year, 80 years on from the end of the Second World War, we also salute the veterans of that conflict whose sacrifice and service shaped the freedoms we enjoy today.
Our 2025 Remembrance campaign, Honour their service, Support their future, reminds us that while we reflect on the past, we must also look to the future. Many younger veterans who gave years of their lives to serving this country are now facing the life-changing challenge of sight loss. They, too, deserve our support.
We are here for blind veterans whenever they need us, providing rehabilitation, training, and the confidence to live independently again. For as long as it takes. Whether their sight was lost in service or later in life, the feelings of isolation and fear are the same. With your help, we can ensure blind veterans receive the support they need to rebuild their lives and look forward to the future.
Help us give blind veterans the support they need to live independently.
"Earlier this year we commemorated 80 years since VE Day and VJ Day, milestones that remind us of the courage and sacrifice of those who helped secure peace in Europe and the Pacific. This Remembrance Sunday, I’m proud to march alongside our veterans, including those who served in those defining moments, and all who have served since. We honour the men and women who gave their lives for our country, and we will remember them."
Chief Executive
On Remembrance Sunday, 9 November, our blind veterans will come together to share their experiences and remember old friends and colleagues. We will be remembering those veterans we have supported who are no longer with us as well as all those who have given their lives in service of our country.
A proud contingent of over 80 blind veterans and guides will join the march past the Cenotaph in London, and many more will attend moving ceremonies in their own communities including Manchester.
Meet Michael and Wayne
We brought blind veterans Michael and Wayne together as part of our Remembrance commemoration - two veterans whose stories span generations of service and resilience.
Michael joined the RAF in 1943, serving as a leading aircraftman flight mechanic on Lancaster Bombers during WWII. Wayne enlisted in the Royal Armoured Corps, dedicating 18 years to service in Germany, Cyprus and Northern Ireland before leaving in 1993.
They both went on to lose their sight, and their bond is strengthened by this shared experience. When we got them together, they shared memories of their time in uniform, decades apart, but united by a deep understanding of what it means to serve.
Their conversation was rich with humour, pride and reflection. In this video they discuss their memories from service, the Remembrance period, challenges of sight loss, and the support they've received from our charity.
Meet Mark
“It makes you feel very proud that you served in the British Army. It makes you stand tall.”
Mark has marched in the past as a guide for his uncle-in-law, who is a blind veteran himself, but this will be his first time marching as part of the main contingent.
He says: “Remembrance is so important because there’s young men and women that have fallen for all we have now. They’ve given their lives for us, they’re amazing.”
Mark served for 22 years as a Mountain Gunner in the Royal Horse Artillery. It was later in life that multiple strokes suddenly stole his sight away from him. After coming home from the hospital Mark’s wife got in touch with us and we have been supporting him ever since.
He says: “The charity have been brilliant. My Rehabilitation Officer Henry has given me white cane training which means I now have freedom to get around my local area without relying on my wife too much. I can go and pick up my prescriptions and if I fancy a walk I can just head out by myself which is great.”
Meet John
Proudly marching with our contingent, this year will be extra special for blind veteran John as he marches for the first time since being awarded the British Empire Medal.
At the start of the year, John was awarded a British Empire Medal by His Majesty The King for his contribution to charitable causes in his local community.
John joined the Royal Army Medical Corps in 1973 and, after basic training, served in Germany and Northern Ireland. He left the Army in 1977 to train as a registered nurse, but re-joined during the First Gulf War.
From 1990 he worked in the military hospital in Riyadh, looking after Service men and women who were injured or ill, nursing them back to health, or preparing them for evacuation to the UK.
John, from Bridgwater in Somerset, helped founding the Bridgwater Community Hub, which has become an essential support network for veterans and those in the local area.
Meet Kelly and Archie
Blind veteran Kelly and her guide dog Archie are set to make a small piece of history. This year will be the first time our contingent has been lead by a blind veteran with their guide dog; Kelly will lay our wreath this year with Archie beside her.
Kelly joined the Army in 1998 and served until 2005 with the Adjutant Generals Corp. She suffered a stroke at the age of 23 as a result of an auto-immune condition that causes blood clots. The stroke changed her life overnight.
Kelly started receiving our support in 2006. She says:
“Blind Veterans UK saved my life; I owe them a great deal. They took me in after I lost my sight and have taken care of me ever since. I am so proud to be a blind veteran and I wouldn’t be who I am today if I wasn’t.
“Leading the contingent and laying the wreath on behalf of Blind Veterans UK is a huge privilege and to have my guide dog Archie beside me, enabling me to represent the fantastic work of not only Blind Veterans UK but also Guide Dogs is really special.”
Send a message to a veteran
Remembrance is a time for us all to honour those who served. Please leave a message of support to honour their service, as they continue to battle sight loss. Your words can brighten their day and bring a smile to their face.
Remembrance 2025 podcast
In this podcast special, blind veterans Wayne and Michael share their experiences of service and what Remembrance means to them.
From World War II to the Falklands, join us in honouring their service.
Click play below or listen on Spotify.
VE and VJ Day
This year is the 80th anniversary of both VE and VJ Day and to mark this special occasion we have captured the stories of several of our amazing veterans, in their own words.
This Remembrance Sunday please join us in remembering all those who sacrificed so much for our freedom.
Please give this Remembrance
Help us give blind veterans the support they need to live independently.
Need support this Remembrance?
We support veterans of all generations, regardless of how or when they lost their sight. If you or someone you know is struggling with sight loss and served in the Armed Forces at any time, including National Service, then please get in touch.
Read more
VE | VJ Day 80: After the Darkness
Read and listen to our Second World War veterans share their remarkable stories of VE and VJ Day.
Gift a wreath
Gift a wreath so that blind veterans can be a part of Remembrance in their own communities.
Planning to remember
Plan an activity or event to ensure the fallen and those left behind are not forgotten.
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