2021
Blesma Updates for 2021, covering news, activities and fundraising events for limbless veterans.
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Charity seeks Military Veterans for 'The Long Way up' sailing adventure
13 July 2021
Turn to Starboard is offering a fantastic opportunity for our Members to take part in a sailing expedition from Land's End to John O'Groats. A Cornish charity has launched a campaign to find a team of Armed Forces veterans for an ambitious 2,000-mile sailing expedition from Land’s End to John O’ Groats - and back. Turn to Starboard is offering the unique opportunity to ex-Service personnel who have been affected by military operations, or struggling with isolation during the current coronavirus pandemic, to join the epic challenge for a one-way voyage in eith
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Adrenaline Junkies Zip wire out of Lockdown
11 July 2021
Three Members launched themselves back into action after lockdown on the world’s fastest zip wire. The event, organised by Outreach Officer for West Jas Suller as soon as restrictions werelifted, gave Members Grant Jenkins, Keith Walker and Stuart Osmundsen the chance to try the experiences at Zip World in Aberdare, South Wales. The zip lines can hit speeds of 80mph as adventurers hurtle from a tower across a former colliery in the Rhigos mountain range. “It was great,” said Grant, who served 10 years with the Royal Artillery but suffered a car acci
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The 660 Tour of Britain have completed their epic challenge!
8 July 2021
A Group of six serving personnel from 660 Signal Troop have set themselves a target of cycling 1,236 miles around Britain to raise funds for Blesma and the Royal Signals charity. The team hit the road on 28 June and have succeeded in completing their mission in just 11 days! “I took up cycling last year as an escape during the first lockdown, and I got the bug,” said Staff Sergeant Jon Wilkinson, who has served with the regiment for 18 years. Jon was interviewed by BFBS Radio on Instagram live, and
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Veteran with spinal cord injury first to receive Jaco arm
5 July 2021
A former Paratrooper, who was paralysed in an accident, has told how he can feed himself for the first time in 17 years after being given a Jaco robotic arm. Military veteran Jon Noble is only the second person in the UK to own a JACO assistive robotic arm, which is mounted on a power wheelchair, thanks to funding from military charities Support Our Paras, Blesma The Limbless Veterans, Help for Heroes, Royal British Legion and ABF The Soldiers Charity and case working and liaison support from SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity. The veteran was badly injured in a road traffic acci
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