St Dunstan’s, the national charity dedicated to supporting blind ex-servicemen and women, is launching a direct mail appeal featuring a case study of a 22-year- old veteran blinded in action last year.
Devised by agency TDA, the pack tells the story of Lance Bombadier Rob Long who received a serious head injury when his surveillance party encountered a booby trap in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. He lost one eye and was blinded in the other.
The mailpack will be sent to 143,000 supporters this month.
Rob’s experiences are outlined by one of the charity’s rehabilitation and training managers, Julie Shales, who worked with Rob to help him regain his independence.
She thanks donors for their support and explains why more funds are needed to help ex-servicemen and women who have lost their sight. Also included in the pack are photos of Rob going about his daily life – shopping and studying. A set of cameo case studies demonstrates the scope of St Dunstan’s work and the wide range of people supported by the charity.
“We chose Rob as the face of this campaign because his story is very compelling and we believe it will strike a chord with the younger demographic of our supporters,” explains Sally Sheehy, senior direct marketing officer at St Dunstan’s. “There is a lot of public support for veterans of the conflict in Afghanistan and many of our supporters served in the forces themselves. They empathise with the situation Rob is in, and can feel proud that they have played a small part in helping people like him get on with their life despite being blind.”
TDA head of fundraising David Burrows said: “This warm appeal acknowledges donors’ previous support and shows how it has made a difference. It aims to show that every year the number of people requiring the charity’s help increases. St Dunstan’s promises to help its beneficiaries for life, and each year around 650 blind veterans turn to the charity for help.”
