Peacehaven couple complete a 23 mile run and raise more than £1,000 for Blind Veterans UK

Lynn is a Senior Health Care staff member based at the Rustington Centre and has worked for Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for vision-impaired ex-Service men and women, for nearly 20 years.

Joined by her husband for the run, the pair completed their challenge in a very respectable 4 hours and 49 minutes enduring a temperature of just 10C and light coastal headwinds. On arrival they were welcomed by residents, visiting blind veterans, staff and volunteers.

Lynn had previously worked at the charity’s centre in Ovingdean before their Centre of Wellbeing was relocated to Rustington last year. There was no doubt in Lynn’s mind that she would make the move too.

She said: “I worked at Ovingdean for nearly 20 years, and now in Rustington. I love both buildings and working for Blind Veterans UK. I have a deep-rooted connection to the charity, and caring for our blind veterans. It is a real privilege to work with both.”

Lynn only took up running a few years ago, with Chris encouraging her along the way. Her first fundraising run was a 5K in aid of a cancer charity.

Explaining her journey, Lyn said: “I ran a 5k for cancer during Covid on the Saltdean undercliff, raising £1,800. I cried my eyes out as I couldn’t believe what I had just done. It was so rewarding as I was helping people, which is what I love doing.

“Chris said ‘If you can do a 5km, you can do a 10k’. So, I ran a 10k, then a half marathon, and we decided to carry on and do a full marathon. I ran the Brighton Marathon in 2022 running past Ovingdean with the blind veterans cheering me on.”

The inspiration for Lynn and Chris’s latest fundraising efforts came from the team of blind veterans and supporters that walked the same route in August last year when the charity moved from Ovingdean to Rustington.

Now that the move is complete, and the landscaping is continuing, Lynn decided to go ahead with this idea to raise funds for the gardens at the Rustington Centre of Wellbeing. As well as blind veterans enjoying this space, the gardens are also visible to the public from the beach.

If you would like to support Lynn’s fundraising efforts, please visit her Just Giving page: justgiving.com/page/lynn-allen

If you are inspired by Lynn’s incredible efforts and would like to devise a challenge of your own get in touch with [email protected]

Blind Veterans UK moved from their previous south coast centre at Ovingdean, Brighton earlier this year with a small number of permanent residents. Although the centre is beginning to welcome visiting guests for holidays and rehabilitation, this will be phased over the coming weeks and months as there is still some ongoing building and landscaping work to compete.     

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