Blesma News
Latest news from Blesma, The Limbless Veterans
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Jumping to the best solution with Jon-Allan Butterworth!
4 February 2015
Ian Jones, prosthetist for Limb Solutions, has been out in Austria to support Jon-Allan Butterworth as he competes in Channel 4's 'The Jump' by creating custom prostheses to make sure Jon-Allan can perform at his best in each of the winter sports events. Ian has kindly written an article for us about what he has been up to: In November 2014 I took a call from a military veteran who was going to take part in Channel 4’s celebrity winter sports programme The Jump 2015. Jon-Allan Butterworth, world champion and Paralympic silver medallist in cycling had
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Jerome Church awarded OBE
25 January 2015
We are pleased to announce former Blesma Chief Executive Jerome Church has been made an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the New Year Honours List 2015 for services to veterans. Jerome who was appointed chief executive in 2000 and oversaw much of the human cost of miltary activity Afghanistan and Iraq before retiring in 2013. Following a long military career, during which he lost a leg serving in Northern Ireland, he became a Member of Blesma and was appointed the chief executive in 2000. Over the years, he helped steer the organisation throu
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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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