A letter to Members - Regional conferences

Dear Member,

RE: Blind Veterans UK regional confernces

I am writing to you today to inform you of our plan to hold additional Member conferences later this year to allow us to consult with our membership on a number of key issues.

These conferences are in addition to what has become our regular conference in the spring, and they will be taking place in five locations across the country to hopefully give as many Members as possible the opportunity to attend.

The regional conference locations will be Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Nottinghamshire, Cheshire, and Northumberland. As is the case with our regular national Member conference, we would welcome attendance by partners and carers of Members too.

The main reason for holding these regional conferences is to consult with you on two important changes that we are looking to make.

As a charity, it is crucial for us to pin down our charity objects to get a clear understanding of what Blind Veterans UK is here to do and, crucially, what it is not here to do.

I spoke at the earlier conference this year about the potential for us to create a new Blind Veterans UK membership organisation. At the moment there is no Membership Association and I am keen to hear a wide range of views from Members as well as family members and carers.

Each regional conference will see the group gathering together in the late morning, hearing and contributing to the sessions in the afternoon and then coming together for a meal in the evening. Accommodation and breakfast will be provided for the one night following the conference and meal.

Should you require any assistance with transport to or from the conference please contact your local community team in the first instance.  

The dates and location for each regional conference are:

24 November – Hampshire Court Hotel, Basingstoke

25 November – Cheltenham Chase Hotel, Gloucester

26 November – Nottingham Belfry Hotel, Nottingham

27 November – Crewe Hall Hotel, Cheshire

28 November – Slaley Hall Hotel, Hexham

The quickest way for you to register your interest in attending one of the conferences is by completing the short online form at blindveterans.org.uk/conference. If you require any assistance on completing or submitting your form you can call 0300 111 22 33 or contact your community team.

The deadline for registering your interest to attend each conference is 10 October 2025.

For those who do not wish to or cannot attend any of the conferences we will still be seeking your view both on charity objects and membership association and there will be further communication to follow in due course.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank those Members who have applied for the position of our new President. The application process for this is now closed and I look forward to informing you of the outcome as soon as we can.

The role of President comes with a seat on our Board of Trustees and we know that more Board seats are set to become available over the coming months. I have said before about how it’s clear our Membership has a fantastic breadth and depth of experience so I hope those with an interest will consider applying for a position as one of our Trustees. Please contact me if you would like to discuss this further.

I plan to attend all five regional conferences, and I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible in November.

Yours sincerely,
 
Adrian Bell
Chief Executive – Blind Veterans UK