Three Help for Heroes-funded athletes – Steve Arnold, Scott Meenagh and Terry Ahrens – are focused on a journey to the Winter Paralympic Games in PyeongChang in March 2018. Help for Heroes has funded the Armed Forces Para Snowsport Team to support the Para Nordic Programme, including supporting three athletes through the elite programme with attendance at the World Cup and World Championship events and building a foundation team for the longer term development of the sport.
Read moreAn Army veteran from South Wales has set up two businesses after being the 100th wounded, injured and sick veteran to attend a self-employment course funded by Help for Heroes.
Carl Marsh, of Llantwit Major, South Wales has launched a celebrity interview website and a swimming instruction business thanks to support from the military charity.
He left the Army in 2010 after 12 years of service and one tour in Northern Ireland before he suffered a spinal injury and seven other health related issues which lead to him being medically discharged.
Read moreIn the last-ever tranche of Libor grants, Help for Heroes has been awarded £1.5 million to improve the level of care given to Britain’s most severely wounded and injured Veterans who experience the greatest challenges and highest levels of social exclusion.
Many have complex injuries including multiple limb loss, severe brain injuries and serious mental health conditions which means they will require specialist support through a complex care pathway for the remainder of their lives.
Read moreSince 2010, Help for Heroes has committed £1,032,846 to enable wounded, injured and sick tri-Service personnel and Veterans to participate in fully funded and bespoke secondments with The Prince’s Trust Team programme.
For veteran Tracy, whose life changed completely when she had a heart attack and stroke at just 35 years old, it enabled her to find renewed purpose.
Read moreA former Royal Marine battling Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is about to embark on the third stage of his record attempt to cross the world’s five largest islands completely unsupported thanks to Help for Heroes funding.
Louis Nethercott, 28, of Wiltshire, will today begin his trek across Madagascar, travelling east to west following the historical lighthouses scattered across the coastline. He will be relying solely on human power to do so. He is being supported in his world record attempt by military charity, Help for Heroes, who have grant funded £10,000 for the expedition, the likes of which has never been attempted before.
Read moreTo celebrate its tenth birthday this month, Help for Heroes has launched ‘The Force for Good’ campaign, recognising the potential in the wounded, injured and sick veterans they support.
Help for Heroes aims to help increasing numbers of veterans find their purpose once again, after it was revealed that in 2016/17, on average seven members of the Armed Forces were medically discharged each day – more than 200 per month. New data obtained by Freedom of Information Act request shows the annual figure for the number of men and women medically discharged from the British Armed Forces increased by 99% between 2010/11 and 2016/17.
The UK Invictus Games Team, selected and trained by Help for Heroes, enjoyed huge success in Toronto with more than 170 personal bests achieved and 87 medals won.
Registration for the Invictus Games 2018 Down Under in Sydney is now open.
Read moreThe team will join 16 other nations at the international event for wounded, injured and sick military personnel and veterans.
A 90-strong team of wounded, injured and sick (WIS) military personnel have departed from London Heathrow for Toronto, Canada to represent the UK in the third Invictus Games.
The eight-day sporting event will see 550 individuals from 17 nations compete across 12 sports including athletics, wheelchair basketball, swimming and a new sport for 2017, golf. The event will begin with an opening ceremony on 23 September at the Air Canada Centre, featuring Canadian singers Sarah McLachlan and Alessia Cara, and will finish with a closing ceremony on 30 September with performances from Bruce Springsteen and Bryan Adams.
Read moreA blind veteran from Conwy has completed a three day Iceland trek with Blind Veterans UK, the national charity for blind and vision-impaired ex-Service men and women and The Not Forgotten Association.
Amazingly, Steve Thomas, 45 and from Llanrwst, was entered into the challenge, which was arranged by The Not Forgotten Association, unknowingly. Steve explains “The Rehabilitation and Training Manager from the charity’s Llandudno centre put my name in the hat without me even knowing!
“Out of the blue, he told me that I’d been picked as one of the lucky few. I thought, ‘right then, time to get training!’”
Read moreA survey from Help for Heroes* has revealed that many ex-servicemen and women in the UK have issues sleeping, with over 2 in 5 (41%) stating that they sleep badly on an average night (compared to 27% of the general public, according to a study from the Sleep Council**). Indeed, a quarter of veterans get less than five hours’ sleep on an average night – much less than the widely recommended eight hours.
The results also show that in particular those aged between 25 and 54 struggle to regularly get a good night’s sleep (58%), and that female veterans suffer most, with almost 4 in 5 (70%) of those surveyed saying that they feel they don’t get enough sleep.
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Afghanistan support
In light of recent events in Afghanistan, please find information and support resources here
