Blesma News 2014
The Blesma News for 2014 covering news, activities and fundraising events for limbless veterans.
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Silent Night in aid of Blesma
10 December 2014
In 1914, around Christmas Day, British and German troops took part in a series of unofficial ceasefires along the Western Front. During this time, troops mingled in no man's land, football matches were played, gifts were exchanged, and carols were sung. To commemorate this historical event, on the 100th anniversary of the start of World War 1, Blesma supporter Malcolm Brocklehurst, from the Cleveleys Writers, has penned a poem which he is kindly donating to Blesma to help raise vital funds to support our work. Blesma, The Limbless Veterans, is an organisation born out of WWI
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Mike Swain MBE
4 December 2014
Rifleman Michael Swain is the only British Service man to have undergone a cutting-edge surgical procedure known as osseointegration. He explains how it feels to be walking after years of waiting. "I joined 3 Rifles in November 2007, when I was 17, and deployed to Afghanistan in September 2009. I was blown up by IED in Helmand Province less than two months later, on 8 November. I was 19 years old." "After years of trying to walk on a socket I got to the point where I’d had enough. The injuries to my right leg in particular meant it was short to begin with, but in the last five
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NHS Centre for Equality and Human Rights
28 November 2014
The Welsh Government believes that public bodies should have board members who reflect Welsh society – people from all walks of life – to help them understand people’s needs and make better decisions. However, for many boards in Wales, this is not the case with many groups including women, BME and disabled people significantly under-represented. Although progress has been made in recent years in terms of achieving a more appropriate gender balance at Board level, there is still a need to encourage people from a more diverse range of backgrounds and life experiences to apply for and
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Traumatic Limb Loss and the Needs of the Family
24 November 2014
Blesma recently teamed with Anglia Ruskin University to explore impact of traumatic limb loss on families. The study looked into what measures can be made to improve the rehabilitative outcomes through working with families. Barry LeGrys, Blesma Chief Executive added: "Blesma has always attended to the families of its Members (the limbless veterans). We appreciate the benefits of a holistic approach to support and the value of family cohesion. However, while attentive to obvious distress and always practical in approach, we have gathered little hard evidence on the deeper needs of th
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