A blind veteran swam 80 lengths of his local pool to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day and has raised over £2,500 for Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for vision impaired ex-Service men and women. 

Lee Whitfield, 49, and from Plymouth, swam a total of 2,000 metres on May 8 at Plympton Swimming Pool, completing the challenge in just over two hours.

He says: “My body was aching the following day but to have raised such an incredible amount of money to support Blind Veterans UK makes it all worth it.

“I’m humbled by the support I’ve had and everyone’s kind words.

“I started preparing for the challenge back in March and until then, I’d not swam more than two lengths of the pool for quite some time.

Since losing my sight I’ve found I can’t walk in a straight line, let alone swim in a straight line, so this was a huge challenge for me but one I was determined to complete.

“I am what is known as ‘black blind’, this means I have no sight at all.

I need help to get in and out of the pool and once in I feel like a human pinball, bouncing off the ropes marking my lane and only discovering I’ve reached the end when I bang my head and then know it’s time to turn around.

“I have found that I need to stick to breast stroke as then I can feel the wall with my arms as I make my way along.”

Lee lost his sight suddenly in his mid-40s following a brain haemorrhage.

He says: “What I thought was a Sunday morning nap, turned into something much more serious.

I went into a coma and the doctors were preparing my family for the worst.

When I woke in hospital a few weeks later, it wasn’t immediately obvious that I’d lost my sight as I was hallucinating and seeing all sorts of things; it was absolutely terrifying.

“When I realised what had happened, I thought my life was over.

I was discharged from hospital a day before the country went into the first Covid lockdown adding to my feeling of loss and isolation.

I just stayed inside for six months selling or giving away everything I owned.”

Lee received a phone call out of the blue from a Community Support Worker for the charity Blind Veterans UK who told Lee that the charity may be able to help him.

Lee says: “Blind Veterans UK has been amazing; the charity has given me back the skills and confidence to face up to my new life and to make the most of every day.

“I’ve been provided with counselling and technology.

“Having the charity by my side has made me feel safe.

“This challenge has been my way of giving something back to the charity and to pay respect to those men and women who made it possible for us to live as we do now.

It is important that we do not forget their sacrifice.”

Lee had set himself a fundraising target of £80 but has far exceeded this, already raising over £2,500.

You can still support Lee by visiting his fundraising page: justgiving.com/page/leesswimathon