A blind ex-navy diver has overcome the daily barriers of his sight loss and made dozens of squirrel boxes to raise money for charity.
Eddie Piper, 78 from Wellbank, started making the boxes to fill with feed during lockdown.
He made one for his son-in-law Derek Miller who showed it to friend Darren Blythe, a local conservationist, who posted a photo of the box online and the order requests began flowing in.
Eddie, who has been registered blind for 15 years, has now made 38 boxes and has raised more than £350 for children’s charity Help for Kids, of which Derek is a trustee.
Sheila, Eddie’s wife, said her husband has had a passion for woodworking for “years and years”.
She said: “He’s done everything through a magnifying glass. He’s got guards on everything.
“He’s got a talking tape measure. It’s a great help for him.
“It’s given him something to do during this time. This has come at the right time for him. He has enjoyed what he has been doing.”
© Dougie Nicolson/DCT Media
Eddie attended woodworking classes at the Lindburn Centre in West Lothian as part of the Scottish War Blinded group once a month before lockdown began.
Although he has always had a passion for woodworking, he spent his early working life as a bricklayer before joining the navy, where he served as an engineer and a diver.
He has also put his skills to use, making rocking horses for children.
© Courtesy Eddie Piper
Derek said: “It is a massive achievement.
“It’s given him a lot of pleasure making the boxes for two reasons and that’s to help our charity Help For Kids and also to help feed the squirrels.
“I would like to thank Eddie for making all these boxes and raising funds for us and also to thank Sheila for allowing Eddie to basically live in his shed for days on end,” he joked.
© Courtesy Derek Miller
Hannah Kemlo, charity coordinator for Help For Kids, added: “We are absolutely delighted he has taken the time to make the boxes and the amount of money he has raised so far is fantastic.
“Thank you to everybody who has purchased them.”
Darren Blythe, who runs a local Facebook group encouraging the conservation of red squirrels, said: “This is a great opportunity to help him do a great thing for a great cause.
“I think he has done fantastically well.”
The boxes are being sold for £10 and you can order one from Darren’s Facebook group ‘Darren’s Ginger Ninjas’.