Our Impact 2024-25

Blind Veterans UK has been rebuilding veterans' lives after sight loss for 111 years. In 2024/25 the charity supported 3,600 blind veterans across the UK, completed 1,598 rehabilitation referrals, trained 313 veterans on assistive technology, and ran 980 local activities and events. Its befriending service — delivered by 997 volunteers who gave 26,824 hours — received the Quality in Befriending Excellence award. Total income was £27.8 million with total expenditure of £42 million, reflecting significant investment from charitable reserves.

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📋About

Sight loss rehabilitation and mobility training; assistive technology training and equipment recycling; National Creative Wellbeing Project; health and wellbeing programmes; social groups and military events; befriending and home visitor volunteering; centre-based and community outreach support

📊Key Metrics

3,600 blind veterans received support across the UK; 447 new blind veterans started receiving support in 2024/25 Key Metric 1
1,598 referrals to rehabilitation services completed; 313 veterans received assistive technology training Key Metric 2
997 volunteers donated 26,824 hours of support; befriending service awarded Quality in Befriending Excellence — one of only 11 organisations in the UK to achieve this Key Metric 3

Key Outcomes

  • 1,831 National Creative Wellbeing Project packs issued to help veterans reconnect with creativity and independence
  • 85p of every £1 donated spent on charitable activities; 980 local activities and events run across communities in 2024/25
  • 111 years of supporting blind veterans since 1914; Quality in Befriending Excellence award achieved

📍Geography

UK-Wide

2026 Enhanced

Impact — Winter 2026

Total income £18,180,000 and total expenditure £18,560,000 (year ended 31 December 2024, charity no. 1084958 England/Wales and SC039654 Scotland); in 2024 spent £3.8m on charitable activities including £1,079,000 on research, £1,366,000 on EB Community Support, £943,000 on public education, £270,000 on EB healthcare and £185,000 on respite breaks
Key Metric 1
700+ members supported through in-person visits and support calls in 2025; 697 support grants allocated in 2025 for essential items including specialist clothing, cooling fans and sheepskin liners; 2 new holiday homes purchased in 2025 with over 700 guests enjoying holiday homes; £34,000 raised through 2025 winter 'The Longest Night' appeal
Key Metric 2
Largest global investment in EB research to date: multi-million-pound drug repurposing trial provisionally agreed with LifeArc partner at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London; EB Priorities Setting Partnership study completed mapping global research priorities for all four main EB forms
Key Metric 3
£34,000 raised in 2025 winter appeal supporting families like Darcie's with specialist items, emotional support and research; 697 support grants delivered in 2025; first Members Connect event in Northern Ireland; EB Priorities Setting Partnership study completed providing global research roadmap
2025 Enhanced

Impact Report 2025

22,507 households helped through RBL casework and specialist support services across 66 countries
Key Metric 1
22,600 grants given to those in need, totalling £11.8 million
Key Metric 2
733 beneficiaries represented at tribunals, resulting in £24.5 million in War Pensions awards
Key Metric 3
1,548 new families living with dementia supported by RBL Admiral Nurses service
2024 Enhanced

Annual Report and Accounts 2024

349,000+ people completed the Know Your Risk tool to assess their risk of type 2 diabetes in 2024
Key Metric 1
£4 million invested in 17 new research projects; total active grants portfolio worth over £45 million
Key Metric 2
32% of people completing NHS England's Path to Remission programme — which Diabetes UK campaigned for — put their type 2 diabetes into remission
Key Metric 3
Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge invested over £23 million in 19 projects across 161 experts from 47 institutions in 8 countries since 2022