A BLIND veteran from Mere will be one of more than a hundred people who will have the honour of walking to the Cenotaph in London on Remembrance Sunday for Blind Veterans UK.

Lindy Elliott joined the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS) in 1965, training in communications, eventually being drafted to Singapore on the staff of the commander-in-chief Far East Fleet.

The 69-year-old was diagnosed with diabetes soon after, ending her career in the WRNS, and she began to lose her sight 10 years ago due to diabetic retinopathy.

“I remember bending down one day and blood rushing across my eye. From then it carried on deteriorating and within four months it was chronic,” she said.

“It was scary and very difficult to come to terms with but I decided I wasn’t going to let it control my life.”

Ms Elliott has received help from Blind Veterans UK since 2012, helping her keep her independence and provide her with equipment, such as a CCTV reader which makes any document a bigger size allowing her to read.

Formerly St Dunstan’s, Blind Veterans UK was founded in 1915 and will be celebrating its 100 year anniversary.

The charity’s initial purpose was to support soldiers blinded in World War One, but the organisation has gone on to support more than 35,000 blind veterans and their families, spanning World War Two to recent conflicts including Iraq and Afghanistan.

“The training and equipment is very important but for me, it’s the companionship that is the best bit,” added Ms Elliott.

“Blind Veterans UK is like another family to me. A family of people who are all together with the same problems and the same support. I don’t think I could exist anymore without Blind Veterans UK.”