A special wreath was laid to commemorate Remembrance Sunday by a blind veteran.

John Poyner, 85, from Borehamwood, laid the wreath at Sir Nicholas Church War Memorial, Borehamwood, on November 8 where both of his parents are buried.

Mr Poyner laid the wreath on behalf of the charity Blind Veterans UK which is celebrating its 100 years of service.

Mr Poyner said: ““I was honoured to place to wreath for Blind Veterans UK and remember all those veterans the charity supports who have lost their sight.

“The church itself has a special history to me. Both of my parents loved this church and are buried here.

“It is an honour to present the wreath in remembrance of them as well as all those who have suffered as a consequence of war.”

Mr Poyner joined the army in 1947 at the age of 17 and served in Egypt, Palestine and Hong Kong.

He began to lose his sight in 2013 and was later diagnosed with cataracts and age related macular degeneration, a leading cause of sight loss in older people.

Blind Veterans UK was founded in 1915 and the charity’s initial purpose was to help and support soldiers blinded in First World War.

But the organisation has gone on to support more than 35,000 blind veterans and their families, spanning Second World War to recent conflicts including Iraq and Afghanistan.