WWAF veteran Dorothy Shepherd has been invited to a special garden party at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the centenary of the Blind Veterans UK.

The 91-year-old, of Swindon, worked as a telephone operator with the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) during the Second World War and will join thousands of other veterans at the party on June 4 to celebrate the military charity’s 100th birthday.

Blind Veterans UK began supporting Dorothy in 2009 after she lost her sight and she said they had been a real help to her.

“I didn’t know if Blind Veterans UK helped women but I got in touch with them and they told me that they definitely do,” she said.

“They started helping me straight away.”

“It is such a lovely charity. I regularly visit their centres in Brighton and Llandudno for holidays and I particularly enjoy learning new arts and craft skills.

“One of the instructors taught me how to use special coloured modelling clay which I now use all the time at home to make bracelets and things.

“They have given me a special CCTV reader which blows up documents to any size. This means I can read things that I used to have wait for someone else to read to me. It makes a big difference.”

The grandmother, who worked with the Lancaster Bombers and then as a wireless operator from 1942 to 1945, will take grandson Nathan with her to the big day in London.

“Neither of us have ever been to Buckingham Palace before,” she said. “It will be such a special day and we’re both really looking forward it.

“I’m very proud to have been asked to attend and celebrate the centenary of such a brilliant charity.”

Blind Veterans UK (formerly St Dunstan’s) was founded in 1915 and the charity’s initial purpose was to help and support soldiers blinded in World War I. But the organisation has gone on to support more than 35,000 blind veterans and their families, from the Second World War to recent conflicts including Iraq and Afghanistan.

Chief executive of Blind Veterans UK, Major General (Rtd) Nick Caplin CB, said: “All of us at Blind Veterans UK feel both honoured and very proud to celebrate our Centenary at such a special event. It will be a fantastic day for our veterans, whatever the weather.

“This anniversary also provides the opportunity for us to look forward to the challenges that lie ahead for Blind Veterans UK. It is a critical time for our charity as the number of blind veterans we support is increasing; in the past year, more blind veterans have registered for our help than ever before in the charity’s history and this trend is set to continue.”

For more information, visit www.blindveterans.org.uk.