HMS Sultan hosts sports day for blind veterans

Blind Veterans UK has hosted a summer camp for 12 of its members.

They competed against each other in a sports day at HMS Sultan in Gosport.

Terry Bullingham, who was blinded 40 years ago during the Falklands conflict, told Forces News: "This was during the main San Carlos landings on 21 May 1982, on the flight deck of HMS Antrim.

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"Two Mirage jets strafed us and I got struck in my eyes, couldn't move quickly enough."

Ron Malyan is Terry's helper, also known as a 'dog'. "What happened to Terry could very well happen to me or anybody else," he said.

Ron feels "blessed" that it didn't happen to him and says being Terry's helper is "the right thing to do".

The first event for blind veterans ran in 1947. They have been running ever since except for a break during the COVID pandemic.