Blesma News
Latest news from Blesma, The Limbless Veterans
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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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Have you tried Para Ice Hockey?
12 March 2021
Much like wheelchair rugby, this is a full-contact, no-holds-barred sport that is definitely not for the faint-hearted. The players propel themselves with a pair of sticks; one end spiked for gripping the ice while the other has a blade for hitting the puck. Jake Oakley, of the Sheffield Steelkings para Ice Hockey club is reaching out to Members, to see if they might like to give the sport a go. This sport is fast paced, highly skilled and physically demanding. It's great for people with lower body disabilities and injuries and men and women from
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Armed Forces Veterans set for Census 2021
10 March 2021
The decennial census is almost upon us and, for the first time, people are able to say if they are a veteran of the armed forces. The census, run by the Office for National Statistics, is a once-in-a-decade survey that gives us the most accurate estimate of all the people and households in England and Wales. It has been carried out every decade since 1801, with the exception of 1941.Among the new questions this time is one asking people whether they have served in the armed forces to support commitments made by central and local government under the Armed Forces Covenant – the d
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