Blesma News 2015
The Blesma News for 2015 covering news, activities and fundraising events for limbless veterans.
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Row2Recovery make it into the history books as the first all amputee crew to row the Atlantic
8 February 2016
Blesma's Row2Recovery Atlantic mission ended in glory when its four man crew set a world record as the first British all amputee crew to row across an ocean. The group, who set off from the Canary Islands on 20 December 2015, took 47 days to complete the 3,000-mile row to Antigua. Skipper Cayle Royce, along with Paddy Gallagher, Lee Spencer and Nigel Rogoff were met by a huge crowd at Antigua’s English Harbour, and were given a military salute by soldiers from the local Army as they finally reached land. “Rowing into harbour was the most incredible experience
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Jean Goodall looks at the Association from a Widow’s perspective
19 December 2015
Jean Goodall became the Chair of a Blesma branch almost without a say in the matter. “I was sitting at the back of an East Berkshire meeting in 2000, a couple of years after my husband had died, and the Chairman announced that he was going to stand down,” recalls the 76 year old. “The Treasurer shouted ‘Jean!’ and before I knew it, I was taking the meeting. Next, I got a letter from Blesma congratulating me on being the new Chair and Welfare Officer, which hadn’t even been mentioned! “I really enjoyed it though,” she admits. “Everyone said it was because I like telling people what to do! It
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Building The Future
15 December 2015
The ambitious vision of a state-of-the-art clinical rehabilitation centre moves ever closer as the bricks and mortar of the new Defence rehab facility on the Stanford Hall estate take shape in the heart of England. Contractors are now constructing purpose-built units at the 354-acre Nottinghamshire site that will become a beacon of care for wounded Service personnel. The £300 million project for a new Defence National Rehabilitation Centre (DNRC) began with a conversation between the Duke of Westminster and General Sir Tim Granville-Chapman, then the Vice-Chief of the Defen
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Mobility Fund Launch
11 December 2015
Two new funds have been launched to support veterans with serious physical injury or hearing loss, providing them with equipment and therapies to improve their wellbeing. A total of £13 million over 5 years has been made available from income generated from Libor fines. Each programme element has been designed in consultation with the Ministry of Defence (MOD), National Health Service (NHS), Department of Health and representatives from subject matter experts in the medical and Armed Forces charity communities. Blesma has taken a leading role, particularly with the first of these f
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