Meet our new Support Officer: Steve Burrell

Following in the very large footsteps of Blesma Support Officer London and South East Paul Findlay, we welcome Steve Burrell to the Association. 

What did you do before you joined Blesma? 

I worked for Blind Veterans UK as a Community Support worker for Hertfordshire for 3 years. This role was working with veterans who had either lost their sight in service, or years after due to various eye conditions such as macular degeneration and glaucoma. Before that I was in the Army for 22 years.  The first 10 were in the AGC (SPS) as a military clerk, where I was fortunate to serve with various units in the UK and Germany. I was even lucky enough to have a 2 year posting to a NATO HQ in Portugal. The last 12 years of my Army career I worked in the Army Welfare Service providing support to soldiers and their families; this included everything from low level counselling to working on child protection cases. 

Why did you want to join Blesma? 

I thoroughly enjoyed my time and experiences with Blind Veterans UK and they are an excellent charity in their own right. I have known for years about the great support Blesma provides limbless veterans and when an opportunity came up to join the team I knew I had to apply. I wanted the new challenge of working with a broader range of veterans, and to learn more about the challenges facing Blesma Members and how I can play my part in assisting them. 

What are you hoping to achieve in your new role?  

I am keen to get to introduce myself and, as restrictions allow, start carrying out home visits, especially to those who may have not had any visitors for a while now. I am learning the ropes at the moment, but am incredibly well supported by the wider BSO team. I am very fortunate that I get to work with Jess Linge, the Outreach Officer for London and the South East, and we are working on some very exciting trips/opportunities as restrictions ease whilst ensuring that we keep an online presence, as well as being at the end of the phone!  

What do you like to do outside of work?  

I am a very keen amateur cook and love to dabble with new recipes. I bought a smoker during lockdown to slow cook meat over hours of low heat, but still have not managed to get this going. I am also partial to real ale and will seek out local breweries, ale pubs and festivals. I also run and exercise to balance all the food and drink! I also run a pub quiz at a local pub that helps increase my general knowledge and knowledge of useless trivia.