Blind veteran raises over £600 with art exhibition

Blind veteran Jennie turned her passion for art into vital funds by organising an art exhibition to raise money for our charity.

Jennie, from Daventry, says we helped her to embrace her life with sight loss.

She served in the Woman’s Royal Army Corps (Provost) for five years before a career with Northamptonshire Police. Jennie lost her sight suddenly whilst at work and was eventually diagnosed with bilateral optic atrophy which is sight loss caused by damage to the optic nerve. She says:

“When I was first told of my diagnosis I was devastated, extremely worried. My world fell apart; I feared I would lose my job and my home. All these things come flashing into your mind which sent me into a spiral.”

Support from our charity

Jennie began to receive support from us in 2018 and now works for us as a member of staff, helping to support other blind or partially sighted veterans. She says:

“Meeting a fellow blind veteran at the Blind Veterans UK Centre of Wellbeing in Llandudno inspired me to challenge myself and get on with life. That peer support was worth its weight in gold. I learnt that just because I’d lost some of my sight, it didn’t mean life was over. I just had to accept it and adjust which was a journey in itself.”

Jennie’s love of art, which we've supported her with, has helped her during her rehabilitation and through her passion she has raised over £600 to help others to access the vital support they need.

Love of art

Jennie, together with her husband, began running their charity art exhibitions in 2007 with money raised supporting a number of different charities over the years. This year the exhibition, which took place on 4 and 5 May at Dodford Village Hall, supported our charity. Jennie says:

“Following my sight loss, I pushed myself to try and continue with the things I loved such as painting, cake decorating, drawing and cooking. I just have to find work arounds that allow me to do things differently and appreciate it takes longer too.

“I have no usable sight in one eye, seeing only grey and limited sight in the other and therefore have no perspective, so art is challenging. However, I become totally immersed in what I’m doing when I paint."

Art exhibition

Jennie’s art exhibition, kindly supported by local artists displaying their work raised over £600 for our charity. The funds were raised through the hanging fees, commission from paintings sold, as well as money raised through the sale of refreshments. Information about our work to support blind veterans and how people can get involved was also available on the day.