A FALKLANDS veteran who served in the Royal Marines will join thousands of other proud ex-servicemen and women in marching to London’s Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday.

Alan Holderness, 49, of Blackburn, will march on behalf of Blind Veterans UK, after losing his sight while serving in the Armed Forces.

Father-of-four Mr Holderness, of Queensway, will march alongside thousands of other veterans to mark the annual day of remembrance for the thousands of men and women lost in war.

Inspired by his grandfather, a Marine during the Second World War, Mr Holderness joined the Marines straight after leaving school at 16.

He then went on to serve in the Falklands and in Cyprus as part of the 40 Commando.

During his service, Alan started to notice his eyesight getting worse and struggled to see in night-time conditions.

He was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative hereditary condition, and was discharged from the Marines in 1986.

Mr Holderness, works for Blackburn firm Verifyne Plastics, has participated in Remembrance Day events since joining the Marines more than 30 years ago, but says that there is something very special about taking part as a Blind Veterans UK member.

He said: “Remembrance Sunday is an emotive time for lots of different people for lots of different reasons, but marching as part of the Blind Veterans UK cohort is absolutely phenomenal.

“There’s always this incredible cheer from the crowd. Marching past, the applause is like riding on a huge wave.”