Blind veteran David Gant walks 75 laps of his garden for VE Day and to raise funds for Blind Veterans UK

An Old Newton man who lost his sight 25 years ago has raised more than £1,000 for a charity close to his heart.

David Gant was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa when he was 40, which eventually led to him becoming completely blind.

But the now 80 year old was determined to walk 75 laps of his garden to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day and raise money for Blind Veterans UK, of which he has been a member since 2014.

“It is a brilliant charity and I wanted to repay them for all that they’ve done for me and so many others,” said David, who served in the Royal Army Medical Corps in Hong Kong in 1960.

"They have set me up with so much stuff which has made life much easier. I can't praise them enough."
He added: “My support worker Sallie-Ann Nicol has been so good to us and has helped us so much during the current coronavirus situation.”

Due to several underlying health conditions, David, who has two sons, two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, had to complete the challenge over three days.

He was also led around the garden by his wife of 58 years and carer, Jean.

“I’m restricted to what I can do so it wasn’t a walk in the park but I’m so happy I did it for the charity,” he said.