The RORC Caribbean 600 race has the distinct honour this year of being one of the sailing competitions embarked upon by the British Limbless Ex-Service Men’s Association or BLESMA.

BLESMA is a national charity based in the UK that serves to aid and rehabilitate limbless serving and ex-service men and women as well as their dependents and widows. The charity directly supports men and women who have been severely impaired from the moment of injury throughout the rest of their lives. The work starts with rehabilitation and a tenacious effort to show members that there is life after amputation.

In an interview with 365antigua.com, BLESMA member and crewman on the all-BLESMA member manned Spirit of Juno, Wayne "H" Harrod, stated that he first joined BLESMA in 2004 after he was injured while serving with the British Army. He attested to the rehabilitative power of the organisation and said that he now lives a very active life and always looks forward to the challenge presented by the sailing races that BLESMA takes part in.

While participating as an active member of BLESMA, Harrod took it upon himself to help promote another charity called Dee’s Abled Children which is based in Sri Lanka. Surely, everyone remembers the Boxing Day tsunami that devastated South East Asia and particularly Sri Lanka, but as the years have passed, few may know about how much recovery still needs to be done and organisations like Dee’s remain on the ground trying to assist.

The Sri Lankan group is admittedly, quite small, being run by a small group of nuns in Colombo, however, Harrod stated that he was immediately attracted to the obvious passion they had for helping disabled children. Harrod has been collecting for Dee’s for about two years, carrying around a prosthetic limb outfitted to take monetary donations. He has been collecting funds all over the world and told us that once he gets back to the UK he will have it all converted pounds sterling and sent to the headquarters for Dee’s.

Being a non-governmental organisation, Dee’s relies on the charitable donations of everyday people and businesses, which makes Harrod’s efforts all the more important. Harrod stated that although he is happy to receive monetary help for the charity, he admitted that ultimately spreading awareness about Dee's is equally important.

More information on Dee’s Abled Children can be found at www.deesabledchildren.org.uk where one can also make a donation. For more information on Wayne Harrod and BLESMA, check their website at www.blesma.org.