Just Jill: The Autobiography of Jill Allen-King OBE: The Autobiography of Jill Allen-King MBE

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But after only a short conversation with Jill in her immaculate home, I realised that here was a person who had a lot to offer to adults as well as children, and I invited her to appear on the In Touch programme to give down to earth advice on “cooking without looking! Health and Social Services failed her badly, providing nothing in the way of information or support.

However, she added two ladies from the Cinnamon Trust, which provides support for elderly and terminally ill people with pets, have been helping take Jagger out for a walk, which she “really appreciates”. When she was 13, her aunt and uncle were drowned in the Canvey Island floods of 1953 and Jill was drafted in to help with the clean-up. Now 82, Jill has given hundreds of talks to schoolchildren, raised thousands of pounds for blindness charities and became the first female president of the National Federation of the Blind UK.

Nevertheless Jill acquitted herself well and went on to college to study catering, whence she ended up cooking for Shell and the directors of Gallagher's, the cigarette manufacturers, in the City of London. On losing her sight completely at the age of 24 she embarked on a journey of self-rehabilitation, gradual readjustment and learning, until she finally regained her confidence and independence. Dogs that are qualifying as partners now were actually raised over two years ago and it's hard to imagine what times were like then.

A WOMAN who triumphed over adversity after going blind on her wedding day has relived her astonishing life in her autobiogaphy. The rights of blind people are continuing to not be considered, so I will keep working to fight that,” says Jill. Mrs Allen-King splits her time between her seafront bungalow, in Point Clear, and her home in Southend. Pioneering activist has spent her life campaigning on behalf of other blind and partially-sighted people, with remarkable results.There can be few people for whom the old cliché of “triumph over adversity” is more appropriate than Jill Allen-King. Most purchases from business sellers are protected by the Consumer Contract Regulations 2013 which give you the right to cancel the purchase within 14 days after the day you receive the item. But when we reached the hotel for our reception, I was walking down the long corridor to the banqueting suite and it seemed like the lights were flashing.

As I walked down the path of our cottage to head for the church, a black cat crossed my path and I remember thinking, ‘That’s bad luck. It wasn’t until seven years later that Jill successfully completed a training course with her first guide dog and finally, after years of being virtually housebound, was able to begin rebuilding her confidence and reclaiming her independence. Jill currently chairs the European Blind Union Commission on Mobility and Transport, a position she has held for the past 13 years, and the National Federation of the Blind's Environment Committee. In 1971, things began to improve when Jill got her first guide dog and slowly began to regain he independence. In spite of being partially sighted, she was able to enjoy a fairly normal childhood and, on achieving a catering qualification, worked as a cook.When we left for our honeymoon in Eastbourne, I remember standing in Victoria station and feeling panicked. Ms Firth also spoke with Pete Osborne, chief operating officer of Guide Dogs UK, who assured her the organisation is doing all it can to help Mrs Allen-King OBE. Before it happened, I loved ballroom and latin dancing, and I used to catch the train to London every day to do my job as a chef. Aged just 24, on her wedding day, she lost her sight completely because of glaucoma – unrelated to her childhood illness. March 2011 - Jill Allen-King OBE signed copies of her book 'Just Jill' at Clacton Library, Clacton on Sea.

I remember my dad’s friend leaning into the wedding car and taking a picture of us on our way from the church to the reception. A blind Pride of Britain winner has slammed plans for the mass closure of rail ticket offices after being left stranded and “petrified” at a station. She spent her honeymoon in St Mary's Hospital in Eastbourne, marking the start of a struggle to regain her independence.Jill went on to be awarded an OBE in 2011 and continues to campaign for better access to fair benefits and financial support. Above all she has been a leading member of the movement of the blind to defend the interests of blind people and secure their rights at local, national and international level. When pregnant, she was first advised by doctors to have an abortion and then, straight after having the baby, was sterilised on medical advice.