Lincolnshire blind veteran will not spend Christmas alone thanks to charity
“When I first lost my sight it was a very depressing and isolating time. I couldn’t read and write anymore. I stopped driving.”
A blind veteran is happy he’ll be spending this Christmas with more than 30 other ex-service people with impaired vision. Jim Meadows, of Anwick, near Sleaford, lives alone but will be spending the festive period with others at Blind Veterans UK’s rehabilitation centre in Rustington.
The 79-year-old said: “I’m looking forward to getting down there. I’ve been a couple of times and the staff are just wonderful and really look after us. Absolute angels. Nothing is too much for them.”
During their stay the veterans will have the opportunity to do Christmas crafts, go to the pantomime and enjoy a traditional lunch with all the trimmings.
Jim joined the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in 1962 and spent 12 years in the army. This included a secondment to the Gurka Rifles in the Borneo jungles during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation.
It was in 2017 that he started to lose his sight, and in 2020 Jim was diagnosed with macular degeneration. His sight has gradually been declining ever since.
Jim said: “I can just about get about. My central vision is really bad but I have a little bit of peripheral vision left.
“When I first lost my sight it was a very depressing and isolating time. I couldn’t read and write anymore. I stopped driving. And I used to play golf five times a week but had to stop.”
Jim has been receiving support from Blind Veterans UK since 2021, and says they have been “great.” He said: “The charity have been great at giving me some of my independence back.
“They’ve given me this talking machine which I can put letters underneath and have them read back out to me. My support worker Lizzie is a really lovely lady and it gives me a lot of peace of mind to know she’s always there if I need her.”
Blind Veterans UK’s Rustington Centre Manager, Kellie Darcy-Pattenden, added: “Christmas can be a difficult time for those who might otherwise be on their own, so it means a great deal to welcome our veterans here at Rustington. Our centre becomes a home away from home, full of festive cheer, companionship, and a chance to indulge a little.
“Most importantly, it’s about being surrounded by people who understand and share the same experiences, so no one feels alone at this special time of year.”
