An ex-paratrooper who has lost his sight is set to make one final parachute jump at the age of 88.

Danny Gibbon, from Swindon, is making the leap in support of Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for vision-impaired ex-service men and women that has supported him.

Mr Gibbon enlisted into the army aged 17 in 1954 as a way to honour his father, a sergeant in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers who was killed at Dunkirk during World War Two.

He said: “I joined up early so I could avoid a random posting under the National Service regulations that were still in place at the time."

Danny Gibbon joined the army aged 17Danny Gibbon joined the army aged 17 (Image: Blind Veterans UK)

After his basic training in Devizes, Mr Gibbon served in Cyprus, Egypt, Norway, and Germany as a heavy machine gunner in the 1 Para Battalion.

One of his memories from his military days is of a training course at Netheravon Airfield in Salisbury, where he will make his final jump on September 6.

He is aiming to raise £1,000 for Blind Veterans UK, and has set up a Just Giving page.

He said: "Back then I was attached; the plane pulled the parachute for you after you jumped.

“It was a bit scary when I first started but you soon get your rhythm and if you refused to jump, you’d be court martialled.

"This jump will be completely different to what I did 70 years ago. This time, I’ll be at 10,000 feet and free-falling for quite a distance before deploying the chute."

Mr Gibbon's wife, Carol, joked: "We did have one practice on the bed to see if Danny could land and get his knees up over his chest."

Mr Gibbon continued: "I’m a bit nervous about the parachute jump but I’ll be attached to someone who knows what they are doing as I can’t do it on my own.

"It might bring back some memories."

Diagnosed with macular degeneration a few years ago, he recently had cataracts surgery which means he has a small amount of sight in one eye.

He said: “We don’t know how long the sight will last, but anything was worth doing, just to make my sight last a little longer.

Danny Gibbon with his wife, Carol, and their dog, Peggy-SueDanny Gibbon with his wife, Carol, and their dog, Peggy-Sue (Image: Blind Veterans UK)

"When I first lost my sight, it felt like there was nothing left that I could do.

"We’ve found ways to adapt, but the word to describe how I felt is probably ‘frustrated’."

When Mr Gibbon was certified as partially sighted, he and Carol went through a period of feeling helpless and alone.

Carol said: “We have no children or family left and we were really struggling. We didn’t know what to do.”

She went online to try to find equipment or people who might be able to help and found the Blind Veterans UK website.

She said: "Within two weeks we had a home visit from a support worker; we’ve never looked back. Everything just felt better."

Mr Gibbon said the charity has been "brilliant", adding: "I’ve been provided with talking books and I attend local meetings with fellow blind veterans.

"Getting in touch with the charity is the best thing I’ve ever done which is why I wanted to do something to give back."

Carol said: "A parachute jump seemed to fit well with Danny having been in the parachute regiment.

"I suggested that Danny made a parachute jump to celebrate his 88th birthday, as a tribute to his late father, a nod to his time in the parachute regiment and to raise funds for Blind Veterans UK so that they can help another person who is going through what we went through.”