A military charity is preparing to mark remembrance and commemorate the life of its Founder, Sir Arthur Pearson, with a service outside Manchester Picadilly station on Saturday (08/11).

image002.pngBlind
Veterans UK, the national charity for vision-impaired ex-Service men and women, will be holding a service, including a wreath laying, bugler and flying of the standard at the entrance to the station, next to the ‘Victory Over Blindness’ sculpture. Around 40
blind veterans will be attending the service before taking part in the city’s Remembrance Sunday parade to the Manchester cenotaph in St Peter’s Square on Sunday.

The now iconic statue was unveiled in 2018 by Blind Veterans UK patron HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh to commemorate 100 years since the end of the First World War.

More than 3,000 veterans lost their sight in that conflict. In 1915, Blind Veterans UK was founded to support them and the charity continues this important work today.

Standing at the entrance to Manchester Piccadilly the statue not only acts as a way mark the anniversary of the end of WWI but also stand as a monument to all the veterans Blind Veterans UK has supported since then.

Its name, Victory Over Blindness, was a phrase used by the charity’s founder, Sir Arthur Pearson, and it continues to guide their principles today.

The statue, conceived and designed by artist and sculptor Johanna Domke-Guyot, shows seven blinded soldiers leading one another with their hands on their comrades’ shoulders and this is exactly how the “living statue”
dressed in WWI uniforms will make their way through the station and city.

Blind Veterans UK supports thousands of blind veterans across the country, but knows there are many thousands more who still need its support to rebuild their lives after sight loss.   

If you, or someone you know, served in the Armed Forces, including National Service, and are now struggling with sight loss, then please get in touch. Call 0800 389 7979 or visit
blindveterans.org.uk/gethelp