Tri-Service

Open Letter From Help For Heroes

"Any man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a fair deal afterwards." Theodore Roosevelt

You may have seen a recent newspaper report claiming that we had created too much space in our Recovery Centres – that we had, in effect, done too good a job supporting our wounded Veterans and their loved ones.

We have done exactly what we set out to do; to provide direct, practical support to the wounded, injured and sick. We have done what it says on the tin. We have, are and will continue to support our wounded.

When we set up H4H in 2007, it was as a simple, emotional response to the news of the wars raging in Iraq and Afghanistan. Coffins were coming back, boys and girls were being blown apart, lives shattered and we felt that we simply had to do something to help. The great British public felt the same.

When we launched, the response to our simple message was overwhelming. People who don’t want to wear uniform respect those who do; they get it. People understand that the decision to go to war lies with Government, not the Serviceman. But, if he is injured, we want to play our part in helping him get better. We did not want to stand idly by and say ‘it’s a disgrace’ or that ‘someone ought to do something!’. We saw the problem and addressed it; we did something and we are still doing so.

We began with our mission to raise enough to ensure that our amputees would not have to swim in a public swimming pool. We replaced a broken tent called the Falklands Gym with a state of the art Rehabilitation Complex; it has greatly enhanced Headley Court. It cost half what we were originally quoted; we drove the cost down, the quality up and delivered on time. That’s how we operate and that was money well spent.

We could have stopped then but we listened to the wounded who told us that ‘while a pool will be great, what are we going to do for the rest of our lives?’

So, hearing that, we set out to do our bit to ensure that they would get the best possible support. The Army asked us to fund a Pathfinder Recovery Centre in Edinburgh and we did. Then, as more were wounded in the bloody dust of the Sangin valley, we were asked to deliver three more Centres and we did.

To read that a former Government Defence Minister didn’t want ‘all singing, all dancing buildings’ begs the question… "Ok Former Minister so I assume you wanted sub-standard, inadequate buildings then?"

To be clear, we were asked to provide the minimum, but with wholehearted support from our donors, we chose to provide the best. Surely that’s what our wounded deserve, as Roosevelt said: a fair deal?

Has it been easy? No of course not. It has been a challenge to raise the money, a battle to deliver on time and to do so at the right price.

But with our supporters, we have done just that and we are hugely proud of what we have achieved so far for thousands of our brave men and women.

Recovery is not measured in the number of beds occupied on any particular night; we are not running a Travelodge. These Centres are helping to rebuild lives.

Our brave boys and girls are not just physically wounded. We are helping those with hidden wounds as well. The numbers we support are growing not diminishing. The wounded do not get better the day the guns stop firing.

There are some who will always take a pop at those who actually do something; those who stand up to be counted.

Help for Heroes has done and continues to do what it says on the tin; we support our wounded. We do that in partnership with the military, other charities, our corporate friends and our superb supporters.

It would be brilliant if the naysayers would stop bitching about Help for Heroes and come and do something to help our wounded and their families. Our boys and girls deserve the very best and we will continue to ensure that they get it.