Fundraisers needed for limbless veterans

By Harrison Burridge

A military charity that supports veterans and serving personnel who have lost limbs, or the use of limbs, are looking for people across the UK to sign up to Blesma Week and hold a fundraising event in their local area.

Blesma Week kicks off on Monday 28 May and will include two bucket collections at Canary Wharf and Kings Cross Underground stations. During the week of fundraising and awareness-raising, communities and companies all over the UK, and even overseas, are encouraged to get involved in a Blesma event or organise their own fundraising activity.

Blesma Member and ambassador Jonathan Bell, who was paralysed from the upper chest down in a pre-deployment training exercise, has also organised a 100mile charity cycle through the Vale of York on Saturday 26 May as a pre-Blesma Week event to launch the fundraiser.

The charity is encouraging fundraisers to hold their own bake sales, BBQs, pub quizzes and volunteer at bucket collections at the selected London Underground stations.

The week also includes the Grand Prize Draw, with the first prize being £1,000! Tickets are £1 per tickets. Alternatively, if you would just like to donate £3, text BLES77 £3 to 70070.

In 2016, the week raised over £50,000 and included events such as a 100-mile cycle ride, BBQs and a 24hr hand-bikeathon.

Sophie Allen, Blesma’s Community & Events Fundraising Manager, says: “Blesma Week has grown year on year, we have wonderful supporters who go to great lengths to fundraise for us – we are really grateful to be able to have a week where we can showcase what we do as a charity and shout about what our amazing members and fundraisers are up to.”

For more information on Blesma Week and how you can get involved, go to: https://blesma.org/support-us/blesma-week/ or call our Fundraising Team on 0208 548 7089.

Blesma, The Limbless Veterans is the national charity for all limbless service men and women, their widows and dependants. It was formed in the years following the First World War and became a national charity in 1932.