A ROYAL Navy and SAS veteran from Malvern with a severe visual impairment has been given a new lease of life by learning to paint.

Sixty-four-year old William Turner has advanced glaucoma which means he can no longer do many of the activities, like sailing and flying aircraft, he once enjoyed.

But now, thanks to the help and support of national military charity Blind Veterans UK, William has leant to live with his sight loss and taken up a new creative pastime.

William is a veteran with 35 years uniformed service - spending 18 years in military roles and he was also a police officer and fireman.

His military service saw him serve as a member of the aircrew in the Royal Navy and in the elite SAS unit and he went to a number of combat zones including Northern Ireland, the Falklands, Kosovo and the North Atlantic during the Cod War with Iceland over fishing rights in the 1970s.

The serviceman became a keen sailor and pilot after gaining his pilot’s licence at the age of 20. It was while on a solo round the world voyage on his yacht SY Quickstep in 2001 that William discovered there was a problem with his sight.

He went to have a routine eye test while visiting Trinidad and Tobago because he realised he needed new spectacles.

He visited a local optician and had an eye scan which revealed there could be a more serious problem. He then went to a specialist who confirmed he had advanced glaucoma and by 2008 the condition had robbed William of his sight.

Unable to sail or fly anymore, William had to contend with a life that felt drained of the usual adventure and thrill to which he had become accustomed.

He said: “I was struggling due to my sight loss. I was planning to travel around Australia on a four-year visa and then due to my eye sight I was mostly confined to my house.

“It was so fortunate that I found Blind Veterans UK. I had heard of St Dunstan’s, the charity’s old name, but not Blind Veterans UK.

“I also thought they only supported war-wounded but a friend told me to contact them as they help any ex-serviceman or women living with severe sight loss, no matter when they served or how they lost their sight.”

William attended the charity’s newest centre in Llandudno six weeks ago for a week-long course. The centre workers assess each person’s visual impairment and discuss with them the ways they can deal with their circumstances with training and rehabilitation.

The veterans receive help with fitness and mobility as well as the skills they need to live independently. After this visit, members can come back to Llandudno for holidays, respite, and nursing care.

There is an Arts and Crafts department to offer veterans an outlet for their creativity – whether it’s a skill someone thinks they have lost or something they’ve never tried before. And as part of this, the veterans exhibit in various galleries and museums, as well as Artists Open Houses in Brighton and a permanent installation at Newhaven Fort, Sussex.

“Seeking their support has been the best thing that could have happened to me. The Llandudno centre staff are very positive, helpful and friendly. Their can-do attitude is inspirational,” said William.

Despite not having painted since school, William has been inspired to paint and received expert tuition from staff at the centre.

He added: “The art bug has definitely bitten. I have carried my easel up the Malvern Hills just to sit there and paint and I often find myself getting carried away and painting on A4 paper into the early hours of the morning.”

With his new found talent, William has painted the Artist Rifles, one of the UK’s most decorated combat units, which disbanded but later reformed as the Special Air Service Regiment (SAS). He has also painted Flanders Field and his local, picturesque scenery in the Malvern Hills.

William is currently planning to paint a war mural to celebrate the charity’s centenary, taking place this year. The project will pan across conflicts starting with soldiers fighting in World War I and end with the conflict in Afghanistan.

• Blind Veterans UK provides vital services and support to ex-servicemen and women who are now battling severe sight loss and their families.

• Regardless of how a veteran lost their sight or when they served, Blind Veterans UK can help. If you are a vision impaired ex-Service man or woman, or care for someone who is, find out more at: www.noonealone.org.uk or telephone: 0800 389 7979.

• The charity’s No One Alone campaign is reaching out to the tens of thousands of ex-servicemen and women, like William, who are now battling severe sight loss and who could be eligible for support but who currently do not realise it.

• Blind Veterans UK (formerly St Dunstan’s) is a national charity that believes that no-one who has served our country should have to battle blindness alone. It provides blind and vision impaired ex-servicemen and women with lifelong support including welfare support, rehabilitation, training, residential and respite care.