Blind Veteran Auctions Leeds United Poppy Shirt for Charity

A blind veteran plans to generate funds for two military charities through the auction of a Remembrance Day football shirt, which was previously worn by Leeds United player Ao Tanaka. Chris Fella, 61, a resident of Otley, received the shirt, characterized by a distinctive poppy design, after performing the salute prior to the club’s fixture against QPR at Elland Road on 9 November. The item, previously worn by Tanaka in an earlier game, was bestowed upon him with the understanding that he would sell it to benefit a military charity. Mr. Fella stated that all proceeds from the online auction, which concludes on Sunday, are designated for Blind Veterans UK and Hounds for Heroes. Mr. Fella completed seven years of service in the Army, having enlisted in 1982. Later in life, however, he received a diagnosis of optic neuritis, a condition that led to his loss of vision. Blind Veterans UK has provided him with support continuously since that time. At a special Remembrance Day memorial match at Elland Road, RAF veteran Darren Brooke extended an invitation to him to render the salute before 38,000 spectators, alongside Navy veteran Danny Dance, who is also a co-founder of Veterans Club Leeds. Discussing his prominent involvement in the Remembrance Day events at Elland Road, Mr. Fella remarked: “After the moment of silence the crowd just exploded with noise. I felt so proud. It was the best experience of my life.” He further commented: “Leeds United generously gave us the shirt under the condition that we auction it off for a military charity. So we’re raising funds for Blind Veterans UK and Hounds for Heroes.” Mr. Fella described the assistance he has received from Blind Veterans UK as “fantastic.” He also stated, “They’ve been great at training me up on technology that finds ways of navigating around my sight loss.”