2021
Blesma Updates for 2021, covering news, activities and fundraising events for limbless veterans.
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The Disabled Veterans’ Scholarships Fund
19 March 2021
The Disabled Veterans’ Scholarships Fund: The Open University The Disabled Veterans’ Scholarships Fund provides free education to all disabled veterans who have been injured in or due to service, along with a wraparound disability support and careers advisory service. The fund is open to anyone; from the most inexperienced of learners who are seeking to study an access module, through to seasoned students who are hoping to complete undergraduate degrees. The Open University’s ambition is to harness the potential of the UK’s veterans by supporting the educational development of
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St Patricks' Day: Chris Neeson's story
17 March 2021
Chris Neeson served for ten years in the 1st Battalion Royal Irish Regiment. He lost the use of his limbs after being involved in a motorbike accident in 2013. He shared with us his fondest memories of St Patricks Day. “St Patricks Day and Rangers Day are the biggest days for the Regiment. It started off at 6:00am with a bugler coming into your room and the Officers giving you a drink called Gunshot, which is made of black tea and rum. It was the most hideous thing you could imagine but it was a tradition from the regiment. Every year, they would go round everyone’s
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From a severed leg to Britains' strongest disabled man
16 March 2021
Mark Smith lost his right leg after an accident during a live firing exercise in Canada. Since being discharged from the Grenadier Guards, he has gone on to become a trailblazing bodybuilder, and has won the title 'Britains' strongest Disabled man' twice. “I’d always wanted to be in the Forces and so I joined when I was 18. I joined the Grenadier Guards and did six months of ceremonial duties in London before going to Bosnia where we were involved in a lot of house searches and dealing with human trafficking." I went to Baghdad and Basra in 2006, which I enjoyed. I also deploy
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Knotting matters’ to these Members
14 March 2021
Members in the South West have been taking part in a series of decorative knotting workshops via Zoom. The workshops have been delivered by Phil Cook, a decorative knottyer with more than 25 years’ experience. The classes have become so popular, with word spreading to Members from other areas who have started to attend. Phil has written a piece about the Blesma workshops that will be included in Knotting Matters magazine, part of the Guild of Knot Tyers who generously funded materials for the course. “Considering the fabulous times I had working with Blind Veterans in Llandudn
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