Eight visually impaired veterans from all across Scotland took on the challenge of abseiling down the iconic Falkirk Wheel to raise funds for Sight Scotland Veterans, as a heartfelt thank you for the support the charity has given them.
Kevin Pringle from Galashiels, Allan Mustard from Perth, Peter Ramsay from Irvine, Jim Morrison from Glasgow, Tom Christie from Dunoon, Gordon Campbell from Fife, Chris Watson from Aberdeenshire and Gary Cowan from St Andrews, were the brave 8 who participated in the charity abseil.
Their daring decent took place on 21 March 2026 and has so far raised over £4,000, allowing us to support more veterans with visual impairments and sight loss.
“It was an amazing feeling to take on the Falkirk Wheel abseil for Sight Scotland Veterans. It felt brilliant to get the chance to do something like this for the charity. This was my way of saying thank you. Sight Scotland Veterans has done so much for me, and I was very proud to be raising money for them. If taking on this challenge helps them keep supporting others like me, then I am happy to do it."
"Taking on the Falkirk Wheel abseil for Sight Scotland Veterans was great. The camaraderie was brilliant. This charity has done so much for us, it’s shown me that life is still for living, and that you are still capable of doing the things you love. This was my way of saying thank you.”
"I was terrified at first, but afterwards I could not stop smiling. What pushed me to do it was knowing how much Sight Scotland Veterans has done for us. We were all in it together, and it felt amazing. I would urge all other veterans who the charity helps to get out and do something like this; it’s such a thrill and for such a good cause.”
“I never imagined I would be able to do something like this, but this is what the charity has done for me. It has restored my confidence, given me hope, and shown me life is for living. It was a such a great day, and I was so proud to be there wearing a Sight Scotland Veterans t-shirt and raising money for such a great charity. I loved every minute of it, and I would urge any veteran to take on a challenge for them.”
As part of his fundraising efforts, Kevin Pringle garnered a huge amount of support from his friends at the Galashiels Royal British Legion, raising an amazing £1,000 from this fundraising activity alone and making Kevin the best performing individual fundraiser of the group.
A huge thank you and well done to everyone involved!
If you'd like to raise funds for Sight Scotland or Sight Scotland Veterans, you can find out more about fundraising for either charity over on our Fundraising pages.
Kevin takes on the Falkirk Wheel Abseil
Proud veteran, Kevin Pringle from Galashiels, who served in the Kings Own Scottish Borderers as a MT driver, is getting ready to take a leap of faith to say thank you to Sight Scotland Veterans for what he describes as 'life changing support'.
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Fundraising for Sight Scotland or Sight Scotland Veterans is easy. Browse our list of fun ideas for events, marathons, challenges and more to help support people with vision loss.