Blind veteran

A BLIND veteran will become the first to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph alongside her guide dog this weekend, according to a charity.

- CLAIRE HAYHURST

Kelly Ganfield, 45, from Trowbridge, Wiltshire, will march in London on Remembrance Sunday with her guide dog Archie, an eight-year-old golden Labrador cross retriever.

She joined the Army in 1998 and served with the Adjutant Generals Corp but suffered a stroke at the age of 23 - resulting in the loss of her sight and career.

In 2006, she began receiving support from Blind Veterans UK and will now lead a contingent of 40 other blind veterans supported by the charity on Sunday. Ms Ganfield will lay a wreath on behalf of Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for vision-impaired ex-service personnel.

Adrian Bell, chief executive of the charity, said: "Kelly is the first blind veteran to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph alongside a guide dog.