A blind veteran will become the first to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph alongside her guide dog this Remembrance Sunday, according to charity Blind Veterans UK.
Kelly Ganfield, 45, from Trowbridge, Wiltshire, will march in London with her eight-year-old golden Labrador cross retriever, Archie. She joined the Army in 1998 but suffered a stroke at age 23, resulting in the loss of her sight and career.
Ms Ganfield has been supported by Blind Veterans UK since 2006 and will lead a contingent of 40 other blind veterans. She will lay a wreath on behalf of the charity, which supports vision-impaired ex-service personnel.
Adrian Bell, chief executive of Blind Veterans UK, said: 'Kelly is the first blind veteran to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph alongside a guide dog. Her and Archie should be rightly proud.'
Ms Ganfield described the honour: 'It's an absolute honour to march with Blind Veterans UK on behalf of those no longer here. Leading the contingent and laying the wreath is a huge privilege, and to have Archie beside me is really special.'
Archie was matched with Ms Ganfield in June 2019. Nik Gardner from Guide Dogs said the charity is 'incredibly proud' of the pair, noting the connection to the charity's founding after the First World War.
