Blind veterans' lives being damaged by evictions, says former charity boss

Plans to evict blind veterans from a charity estate is harming their lives, according to the charity's former director.

Tenants at the Linburn estate in West Lothian were told by landlord Sight Scotland Veterans – formerly Scottish War Blinded – last June that they had a year to vacate their homes.

Rebecca Barr, who led the charity for four years, said she was "horrified" by moves to sell the site to housing developers and is supporting residents.

Sight Scotland Veterans told BBC News that the sale was "necessary to support visually impaired veterans into the future".

Linburn – near Wilkieston – has been run by the charity for 80 years to provide housing and support to blind veterans.

Rebecca Barr told the BBC: "I am devastated that a charity that had provided such an amazing place, that gave people back their lives and independence, has come to this.

"Yes, I think it is a beautiful place to have houses, and it will fetch a lot of money.

"But to actually harm the veterans' lives? They are stressed, they are unhappy, they don't know what's going to happen to them.

"This is a charity set up specifically to support veterans and that's not what they are doing. They are damaging those veterans' lives."

Barr was previously director of Scottish War Blinded but resigned before its name change in 2020.

At the same time, its sister charity Royal Blind – which was run by the same board – changed its name to Sight Scotland.

Barr said she had been "concerned there would be a blurring of the lines between the two charities".

"The money was always there to support veterans," she said.

"I was always concerned there was going to be an erosion of the emphasis on veterans and even more concerned there would be an attempt to use Scottish War Blinded to support other services."

Barr continued: "The charity has always had huge reserves.

"[The tenants] are being evicted despite the charity having more than £30m in the bank.

"The number of people they support is inevitably decreasing. Very gradually, their numbers are diminishing year on year.

"There is plenty of money to support these people. There is no need to evict people from places where they've been supported for years in order to release more money."

When the charity announced plans for Linburn's sale, there were 16 tenants.

It says there are now 10 remaining on the estate.

One of them is ex-special forces paratrooper Pete Conaghan.

Aged 62, he is a former staff sergeant in 1 PARA who served in the first Gulf War as well as in Sierra Leone and Kosovo.

Five years after leaving the forces, he suffered a blood clot in his brain that affected his sight as well as his mobility.

Since 2017, Conaghan has lived in one of the site's purpose-built bungalows for visually-impaired tenants but said he was told last June that he would have to leave.

Since then, he said, there had been a "lack of clarity".

"It would be apparent to anyone that I haven't got a clue what is going on," he told the BBC.

"It's crazy, so stressful. Nothing is in black and white.

"That is a massive difficulty for me and, I imagine, for other residents.

"They don't know from one day to the next whether they are coming or going. It's no way to live."

He continued: "At one point, we were told these houses would be turned into offices.

"That is one rumour, for want of a better word.

"Another rumour is they'll be knocked down. Nothing is clear.

"There were meetings at the very beginning. The residents were summoned at different times, like doctors' appointments.

"If I have tried to find out what's going on, to get something in black and white that is stating exactly what is going to occur, that's not been forthcoming.

"Some of the residents have already left. Others like myself are not able to do that. I'm not sure if the people who run the organisation are aware, but we are in a housing crisis."

Last June, the BBC revealed Sight Scotland Veterans' plans to evict the tenants.

We revisited some of the residents, who produced documents confirming the charity will begin formal eviction proceedings this year.

Linburn estate was purchased for £14,000 in 1946 as a site for visually-impaired veterans.

Since then, it has developed into a campus offering workshops, tuition and therapy as well as housing.

The charity said it was struggling financially, posting budget shortfalls of between £4m and £6m each year since 2021.

Its latest accounts from 2024-25 show reserves of more than £33m.

In a statement, the charity's chief executive Craig Spalding said: "Although the sale has yet to be finalised, selling this parcel of land - alongside increasing fundraising activity and reviewing the charity's expenditure - is necessary to ensure we can continue to support visually-impaired veterans into the future, including through the Linburn centre.

"We shared information about our intention to sell the land for development and communicated our commitment to supporting residents throughout this process at the earliest opportunity.

"As our plans developed, we engaged regularly with tenants."

He continued: "We are aware of the speculation about the future of the site and recognise the impact this is having on residents.

"We will continue to engage constructively with all those affected to ensure they have access to accurate information and support to source alternative accommodation."