Blind veteran visits palace for charity party
A BLIND Heaton Chapel veteran celebrated the 100th anniversary of a veteran’s charity at a Buckingham Palace garden party.
Peter Brewer, 75, visited the palace with more than 1,000 other veterans to celebrate the centenary of Blind Veterans UK, which supports blind and visually impaired ex-service men and women.
Peter was called up for National Service in April 1960 and joined the Royal Army Medical Corps. He served in Wiltshire and was discharged in May 1962 but remained on reserve for three years.
He lost his sight 15 years ago after riding into a pothole whilst out cycling and hitting his head, which damaged his optic nerve
Peter says: “I lost my sight instantly, only being able to determine light and dark out of one eye.
“I had hoped it would get better after a couple of years but, once I realised this wouldn’t be the case, I decided I had to adapt and get on with it.”
He started receiving support from Blind Veterans UK in 2010 after being told about the charity by a friend at his bowling club.
Since then, Peter has received training and specialist equipment to help him continue to live as independently as possible with sight loss.
He added: “I have been for IT training at the charity’s centre in Sheffield and learned how to do woodwork at the centre in Llandudno.
“The IT training has made a real difference and the audio software allows me to continue to learn more all the time. I’ve also been given a new laptop recently.
“I particular enjoy the fact that I’ve been able to carry on my love of cycling. As well as regularly going out with the Bury Tandem Cycling Club for the Visually Impaired, I have also been for cycling weeks with Blind Veterans UK.
“It was such a special day and lovely to walk around the palace gardens. It really was a once in a lifetime experience.”
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.