Deafblind UK, which supports thousands of people in the UK that suffer with deafblindness, has been given a grant of £10,000 by ABF The Soldiers’ Charity to assist with its social interaction services. Veterans such as 93-year-old Jim (pictured) will benefit from this grant.
Each month, Jim attends the ‘Friendly Friday’ social group in Peterborough run by Deafblind UK. Jim lives close to a local country park which has a sailing club onsite, an activity that Jim has always wanted to try. With the help of the DBUK Outreach Officer, Jim and the ‘Friendly Friday’ group visited the sailing club and, assisted by an instructor, Jim managed to sail a catamaran boat.
Jo Jones, Community Services Manager at Deafblind UK, said “The generous support of ABF The Soldiers’ Charity will mean so much to Jim and many other deafblind Army veterans who greatly value our bespoke support. We will use the grant to provide volunteer befriending services, social groups – such as Jim’s ‘Friendly Friday’ group in Peterborough – tailored information and advice, and support to use adaptive digital technology. Deafblind UK is proud to be giving back to those who have so greatly served our country.”
There are more than 1,000 Deafblind UK members who are aged 80 and over, many of whom like Jim, saw active service. Some of their members lost their sight or hearing as a result of their service. In order to help those individuals, Deafblind UK offer services, including social groups, which have a particular focus on sharing memories of their experiences.
Find out more about the work of Deafblind UK: deafblind.org.uk