An 88-year-old former paratrooper has made his final parachute jump in support of the charity which helped him with his sight loss.

Danny Gibbon, from Swindon, has raised more than £2,000 for Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for vision-impaired ex-service men and women, with his final jump.

Mr Gibbon, who lost his sight after being diagnosed with macular degeneration a few years ago, made the jump at Netheravon Airfield in Salisbury on September 13.

He said: “It was great but I won’t be doing it again. It was completely different to what I did 70 years ago.

Danny Gibbons enlisted into the army aged 17 in 1954Danny Gibbon enlisted into the army aged 17 in 1954 (Image: Blind Veterans UK) “My legs were wobbly for two days afterwards, I managed to use that as an excuse to get out of all sorts of household chores.

"After the jump, the chaps I jumped with asked if I would be back for my 89th birthday. Absolutely not."

After enlisting into the army at 17 in 1954, he served for five years before being discharged as a lance corporal in 1959.

He said: "Joining the army was my way of honouring my father who was a sergeant in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers but was killed at Dunkirk during the Second World War."

Mr Gibbon has had cataract surgery, which has left him with 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.

"When I first lost my sight, it felt like there was nothing left that I could do. I’ve had to rely more on my wife; I can’t do the buttons up on my shirt or read a form or drive.

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

He and his wife Carol found Blind Veterans UK after feeling "helpless and alone" when Mr Gibbon was certified as partially sighted.

Mrs Gibbon said: "I filled in the form and the charity got back to us within two days.

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

Mr Gibbon added: "Blind Veterans UK has been brilliant; I’ve been provided with talking books and I attend local meetings with fellow blind veterans, and I’ve played bowls.

"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."