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Frequently Asked Questions about Help for Heroes

When and why did H4H start?

In the summer of 2007 Bryn and Emma wanted to do their bit to help the wounded. Their son was due to join the Army and, as an ex Serviceman himself, Bryn was in touch with his old Regiment, The Royal Green Jackets (now the Rifles), and hearing about the level of casualties. With an idea for a fundraising bike ride, Bryn and Emma met General Sir Richard Dannatt, the Chief of the General Staff, and he suggested that they focus their fundraising efforts on helping to provide a swimming pool at Headley Court, the Tri Service Rehabilitation Centre near Epsom in Surrey. As the pool was a capital project, they were unable to fundraise for existing service charities such as SSAFA Forces Help or the Army Benevolent Fund (ABF) whose charitable objects did not include such projects. Therefore, on 7th September 2007, they asked their solicitors to form a charity and, with seed corn funding from ABF, launched Help for Heroes on 1st October 2007.


Is H4H a charity?
Yes, H4H is registered in England and Wales as a charity, number 1120920, and as a company limited by guarantee, number 6363256.


What are H4H's charitable objects?

  • To assist persons who are currently serving or who have served in the Armed Forces, and their dependants, by advancing any lawful charitable purpose  at the discretion of the Trustees and in particular, but not exclusively:
    • To promote and protect the health of those that have been wounded or injured whilst serving in the Armed Forces through the provision of facilities, equipment or services for their rehabilitation; and
    • To make grants to other charities who assist members of the Armed Forces and their dependants
  • To promote and protect the health of those who have been wounded, sick or injured whilst providing services to, or in conjunction with, and in either case under the direction of the commander of, the Armed Forces in an area of conflict or war and to provide benefits to the dependants of such persons who are in need

Can you give some examples of what you do with the funds?
 H4H funds both capital projects and provides individual support in conjunction with delivery charities e.g. ABF- The Soldiers’ Charity or Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity
We see an individual on a ‘Road to Recovery’ that starts with him/her coming back from operations, probably to Selly Oak, then to Headley Court and then on the journey through life. We want to support him/her and his/her family, on every step of the way, funding services and facilities that give him or her the very best chance of a fulfilling and happy future. We do this by funding our strategic partners as outlined above

  • £8.5m Rehabilitation Complex at Headley Court
  • £6.5m to Combat Stress, including funds for the construction of a new accommodation block at their Surrey treatment centre
  • £750,000 adaptive adventure training through the Battle Back programme
  • £1m to St Dunstan’s to assist the extension of the former North Wales Medical Centre In Llandudno
  • Creation of a £6m Quick Reaction Fund to support individuals in need managed by the Service charities. Funds available within 72 hours for tri-service and families. Read More http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/how-we-can-help-you.html

You will find many more details in the ‘How We Spend Your Money’ section.


What are your current projects?
H4H have committed £100m to the overall Defence Recovery Capability (DRC) in partnership with the MoD and other service charities. This includes -
Personnel Recovery Centres (PRCs) c£80m

  • Residential base for our wounded in the line of duty - living and learning accommodation
  • Capital costs funded by Help for Heroes & running costs in partnership with MoD and The Royal British Legion (TRBL)
  • First PRC operating in Edinburgh, three more to be built in Colchester, Catterick & Plymouth and work started at Tedworth House, Tidworth February 2011. Help for Heroes provided the following funding:
  • Edinburgh - £750,000 for operating costs; already operational, now provided by TRBL
  • Colchester - £6.5m for the capital build; operational by Feb 2012
  • Catterick - £12.5m; FOC anticipated Sept 2012
  • Plymouth (Royal Navy Royal Marines) - £21m; FOC Sept 2012
  • Tedworth House - £32m total (£17m for refurb & rebuild, £15m for first 10 years running costs. Est. £1.5m p/a) IOC currently, FOC Sept 2012

 Tedworth House – Welfare Support Hub

  • Tedworth House will act as pathfinder  support hub for a similar facility in Catterick, FOC Sept 2012, as well the south
  • Place to find jobs, learn life skills, continue to keep fit and know exactly where to go when problems arise
  • Comprehensive, long term support to those wounded, injured and sick in the service of our country, and their families, for life
  • Help for Heroes initiative in conjunction with the MOD and other service charities such as ABF – The Soldiers Charity, TRBL, SSAFA, BLESMA & Combat Stress

 Individual Recovery Plans (IRPs) £15m

  • Supporting those who have to return to civilian life by enhancing the existing resettlement package 

Do you support individuals?
Yes, everyone who benefits from our funding is of course an individual. We do not discriminate between those wounded in action or on training, male or female, race or service; we just want our funds to help ‘the blokes’, the men and women of our Armed Forces. Our funds are used in all sorts of ways, from the big projects like the Headley Court Rehab Complex to the smaller provision of a juice machine in the ward. Individuals have received help from our funding, administered by one of our strategic partners, from help with improvements to housing, rent for a widow or financial assistance to a Dad. The only thing is that we do not do it directly from H4H to the individual; instead we ask our partners (the experts) to administer the money while we concentrate on fundraising and grant giving.


How do I raise money for H4H?
Simple, just look at our events pages and see what you fancy doing. As long as its legal, safe and honest then register it online and get on and do it. Alternatively just hit that donations button and give us as much as you can and leave us to spend the money on the blokes… thanks! Take a look at our fundraising page here.


What if I am moved to help? Perhaps I have lost a member of my family, should I set up a charity like H4H?
Each time someone is hurt or killed, their relatives and friends are moved to do something to help or remember their loved one. Setting up another charity can lead to additional costs and duplication so it is worth talking to us first, as we might well be able to create a ‘Restricted fund’. This is effectively a fund within H4H that you can name and decide how the money is spent (within our charitable objects). That way you can concentrate on fund raising and don’t have to get too involved in all the administration and considerable costs, meaning more of the funds you raise goes to the cause you choose. Find out more http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/set-up-an-appeal-for-a-hero.html


Can I leave money to H4H in my will?
Yes, an increasing number of people are setting up legacies, which will ensure that people will continue to get help in your memory. Read more on legacies here...


Can my company support H4H?
Yes! It’s a brilliant way to motivate your workforce by getting them to join us in doing their bit to help. We have a very successful Charity of the Year (COTY) programme in place and would be happy to tell you more about that, as well as the Give As You Earn scheme (GAYE). Read more on corporate support here...


Why do you have to do this, surely it is the job of the Government to look after its people?
It is and they do. The MOD provides our Servicemen and women with the necessary support but frankly, there is never enough money to do everything we would like. We want to help our boys and girls so, if we are prepared to run races, climb mountains, swim, cycle, bake cakes and do all the other crazy things we do in support of our blokes to provide additional support, then the Armed Forces are happy to accept our contribution. We want to help and our help is welcomed, but it is the extras we provide and we are not letting the Government off the hook or doing their job for them.


Are you criticising the way the Government supports the blokes?
No, we are non-critical. If we fundraise for our local hospital’s CAT scanner or Air Ambulance then we do it because we want to help enhance facilities. It is not an implicit criticism of the NHS; it is a welcome additional facility.


Is H4H politically motivated?
No, H4H is strictly non political and accepts that wars happen under any government. H4H seeks to support those people wounded in war, not to criticise the reasons for those conflicts. We accept that wars happen, they are brutal and Servicemen and women are injured. We can’t prevent that but we can help them recover and that is our focus. We are a fundraising organisation that seeks to support our blokes; it’s as simple as that.

We have no affiliation with any political party and we do not endorse the use of our name, our brand or our images for the promotion of any political viewpoint. The money that we raise at Help for Heroes is used to support wounded Servicemen and women of every colour and creed and we strongly oppose any individual or political party who believes otherwise, and those who seek to use the charity’s name for their own political gain.


Why have you not built anything yet in Scotland, Ireland and Wales? Are you a charity just for England?
No, we are a nationwide charity serving the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom. All those who serve will benefit from our funding equally, whether they come from Arbroath, Birmingham, Lands End, Barry Island, Fiji or any other county or country from where our boys and girls originate.
If we help fund a building in Edinburgh or Plymouth it is because the Chiefs of the Armed Forces ask us to do so. We raise the funds and help where they ask us to.
It is always worth remembering that Scottish soldiers serve in Kent, Cornish Marines are in Scotland, Welsh Soldiers are in Hampshire and London Airmen are in East Anglia. We fundraise nationally for our nation’s boys and girls and help where we are directed.


You seem to do a lot for the Army. Are you an Army charity?
No, we support all members of the Armed Forces equally. Each patient is given the same support, regardless of unit or service. Sadly, the soldiers of the Army and the Marines of the Royal Navy currently make up most of the casualties so much of our work is directed towards them.


Why don’t you support Servicemen from former wars before 9/11?
We had to start somewhere and there are literally hundreds of wonderful organisations already providing support to the veterans of earlier wars. Those veterans are equally our heroes, but our funds are limited and they are already cared for. After each major conflict, charities are set up to help those who are damaged as a result: The Royal British Legion in the aftermath of World War 1 and The Army Benevolent Fund in 1944 for example. Help for Heroes was set up in order to help those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan today.


Why do you call Servicemen and women “Heroes”; surely they are just doing their jobs and know the risks?
We consider that anyone who volunteers to join the Armed Forces, knowing that one day they may have to risk all, is a hero. That’s it; simple.


How come you sell merchandise? Surely charities are not allowed to carry out trading activities?
Correct, H4H does not carry out any trading activities. When we launched, we decided to set up Help for Heroes Trading Company Ltd (H4HT) - a wholly owned trading subsidiary that sells gift products or allows the use of our logo to raise funds. The profits from H4HT cover all of our operating costs, both from the charity and the trading company, as well as making the biggest annual donation. This means that when someone gives us a donation, it all goes to the cause, not to costs, and that has to be good.


So you get paid working for a charity?
Yes, when we set up in October 2007, we all worked for ‘passion not pay’ but we could only sustain that for a few months as we all had mortgages to pay. All our main office staff are now salaried and are backed up with some wonderful volunteers. The main point though is that, by using H4HT, we ensure that all our costs are covered so none of the donations are used to pay our salaries and we believe that is a unique feature of H4H amongst charities. In short, H4HT pays us, not H4H.
All staff salaries are benchmarked by an independent HR company and assessed against similar organisations and charities, before being approved by our trustees and audited. All our accounts are, of course, submitted to the Charity Commission.
If anyone joined us only for the money, they would not last long!


Is the publicity surrounding H4H taking away from the longer-term, established Service charities?
No, in fact the publicity has meant that all the service charities have benefitted considerably from the focus on this generation’s wounded and all report that their income has increased as a result. In addition, we have both supported many charities with funds and helped in joint fundraising partnerships, notably the X Factor 2008 song Hero which raised hundreds of thousands of pounds that we shared with The Royal British Legion.


Does H4H have enough money now?
No, we have a long wish list of £47m for projects and services that we want to support in order to help our blokes. Please keep the money coming in and we will ensure it is spent quickly, effectively and very efficiently. Read the H4H Wish List here...


Is it true Headley Court is going to close?
The results of a feasibility study into the creation of a Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre were announced in the House of Commons on Thursday 13th October. The announcement said that a new centre is recommended to be created on a site in the Midlands and, provided the funding is available, could be operational from 2017.

Help for Heroes is not responsible for Government policy but has been assured by the MoD that the new centre will provide " betterment" over the current world class centre at Headley Court. H4H opened an 8.5m Rehabilitation Complex at Headley Court in June 2010 and, in the event of Defence Rehabilitation being relocated to the Midlands in 2017, is assured that an equivalent, or even better facility, will be created there and known as the Help for Heroes Rehabilitation Complex.

We understand that there will be no move before 2017 and have been assured that in the meantime, investment will continue at Headley Court to ensure it continues to give a world class service to our wounded, injured and sick.

Help for Heroes and it's principle charitable partner, The Royal British Legion, are proud to be supporting the Defence Recovery Capabilty and have together committed over £200m ( H4H £156m, TRBL £50m) over the next ten years, the single largest charitable contribution to the Armed Forces in British history.