Remembrance Appeal
Honour their service. Support their future.
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Remembrance is a time for us all to honour those who served. And what better way than by ensuring they can live independently and safely?
When you donate to the 2025 Remembrance appeal, you could provide the life-changing equipment and support that allow blind veterans, like Michael and Wayne, to stay mobile and avoid isolation.
As part of Remembrance, these two brave veterans met each other to discuss what it means to them. Watch this special video below or read on to find out more about their service and how you make a difference to them.
Michael wants to honour his comrades.
Second World War veteran Michael's vision was destroyed by macular degeneration.
However, he can clearly recall the faces of the flight crews who took off, never to return. Michael was an RAF mechanic; each Lancaster bomber he worked on carried seven brave men. He will never forget the ones that didn't make it home.
Michael, 101, took part in the march to the Cenotaph last year and hopes to do so this year, too. His Community Support Worker has helped him to adapt to sight loss and it means everything to him that his confidence has been rebuilt so much that he can be part of the parade. Thanks to your support, Michael will honour the service and sacrifice of his comrades.
Michael knows the impact your support has.
A whole new world has opened up for him now that he’s able to leave his home again. He’s rediscovered the joy of friendship through his local coffee mornings, where his fellow blind veterans both reminisce and share their sight loss experiences.
More than anything, Michael wants younger veterans, like Wayne, to be able to feel optimistic about the years ahead.
Wayne needs support to build a brighter future.
Wayne is 66. He spent 19 years in the Army and it is a hugely important part of his life.
Sadly, toxoplasmosis robbed Wayne of his sight and ended his career. He explains: "I was very much a military person. I lost all that."
Just as Michael did, Wayne lost his confidence when he lost his sight. But, after his rehabilitation and training with Blind Veterans UK, Wayne has adapted enough to be the Standard Bearer for Blind Veterans UK, an enormous honour. It’s given him back the pride he felt when he was a soldier.
It means everything to Wayne to be part of Remembrance, and part of the military family again. It is also crucial for him to know that, as he anticipates decades more of living with sight loss, he has the support, equipment and training he needs.
“My mental health was gone. I was a wreck, an absolute wreck… Blind Veterans UK brought me back to life again."
Michael and Wayne in conversation
To commemorate Remembrance, Michael and Wayne met up to reflect on their time in service. They discussed the importance of the enduring camaraderie of military life, and the challenges they've faced since losing their sight.
Watch highlights from their conversation here, including how your support has helped them to rediscover their independence and feel part of a community again.
For the full interview, don’t miss our special podcast episode coming in early November.
Please will you honour and support blind veterans?
Honouring our veterans means more than remembering — it means supporting a future where they are safe, independent, and fulfilled.
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