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From 9.30am guests gathered in the marquee, set up in the stunning grounds behind the Officer’s Mess, where they enjoyed tea and coffee whilst waiting for the day’s events to begin.
Just before 11am some of the guests were ushered to outside the H4H complex to await the arrival of His Royal Highness, Prince William of Wales. Sadly, space constraints meant that only 50 out of the 250 guests were able to be physically be there but the rest were able to watch the opening via a live video feed, provided by British Forces Broadcasting Service, back in the marquee.
With the press and guests in place, Prince William arrived taking his place alongside Bryn Parry, co-founder of H4H and the Commanding Officer of Headley Court, Colonel Jerry Tuck.
Bryn spoke first, welcoming the Prince. To read Bryn’s speech click here.
The Commanding Officer Col Tuck then said a few words before handing over to Prince William who spoke of his pride in his fellow Servicemen, and the members of the British public who have supported H4H, saying: “Always supportive of its men in uniform, this country has been elevated by Help for Heroes to a state realisation and proactive support for our military which has made me very, very proud to be British and a member of our armed 
forces.” To read the rest of Prince William’s speech click here.
Bryn then handed a symbolic scroll of deeds to the Commanding Officer before accompanying the Prince as he walked down the ‘Pathway of Support’ to the entrance of the complex. Here each engraved paving stone represents the challenging, creative and downright crazy fundraising efforts of members of the British public. These include ‘Octogenarian David jumped out of a plane’, ‘Terry, 5, cycled in the park without stabilisers’ and ‘Ben swam the channel’.
The Prince was obviously impressed, exclaiming ‘amazing’ as he read a few of the paving stones. The path is just not long enough to include each and every one of the wonderful examples of fundraising. We hope that the 150 we have been able to set in stone will serve as a reminder to the wounded of what was done by the public in recognition of their sacrifices as well as let you, our supporters, know that every penny you raised really counted.
Just outside the complex, the Prince stopped to meet some of the wounded, including Rifleman Stephen Vause who was critically injured in a mortar attack in Iraq three years ago and remains in a wheelchair, unable to talk or swallow. The Prince also spoke with Derek Derenalagi, who lost both his legs in Afghanistan, Ben Parkinson who recently started speaking again after suffering severe brain damage in an Afghan mine blast and Martyn Compton who was also grievously wounded in Afghanistan.
Moving into the complex, Prince William met some Headley Court staff before heading in to see the 25 metre swimming pool. Here, while a group of patients continued with their class, the 50 guests gathered along one side while the Prince walked around to join them. On his way the Prince stopped to meet Sergeant Dave Corcoran, a Royal Marine, who was demonstrating the state of the art aqua jogger which allows patients to run in water, taking the weight of joint and muscles allowing them to build up their muscles safely and gradually. Dave told the Prince: “This place works miracles. I’m walking now without any aid and hopefully I’ll be able to return to service in January.”
Prince William then met H4H patron Lydia Cross, aged 9, who presented the Prince with his very own H4H rugby Hero bear. Lydia had both of her legs amputated below the knee when she had meningitis at just two years old and has been an incredible supporter of H4H – raising funds by swimming, and then running, a mile.
While the patients finished their class and exited the pool, the Prince spoke to Lieutenant Will Dixon, 26, who lost his left leg below the knee after his vehicle was hit by an Improvised Explosive Device in December. He told the Prince: "The facilities here are unbelievable and it is all thanks to the British public, which makes it even more important to us."
Prince William then joined Bryn and the 50 H4H guests on the side of the pool to raise a glass of champagne to toast the complex, before meeting and talking to as many people as time would allow.
After visiting upstairs and meeting patients in the Cardiovascular Gym, the Prince was taken to the marquee where he spent time meeting those key H4H and Headley Court staff members, volunteers and supporters whom, due to space constraints, had not been able to physically be at the complex for the opening.
Prince William then left but the day was far from over, and everyone made their way from the marquee to the complex to congregate in the new gym. Here the first ever Help for Heroes Awards Ceremony took place, where a select 50 individuals received a framed medal in recognition of ‘Outstanding Support’, awarded in recognition of extraordinary efforts on behalf of our wounded.
Recipients included members of the press who launched the charity and then helped make it a household name; patrons; members of the armed forces as well as volunteers and staff members who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in making Help for Heroes the success it is today. Bryn gave a brief, but often moving, introduction for each person and the noise of applause was deafening as everyone took the rare opportunity to show their appreciation to these individuals for their exceptional contribution to the H4H cause. The event was such a success that H4H fully intends to hold future award ceremonies.
The rest of the guests then took the chance to tour the amazing facilities in the complex while H4H spoke to Major Stacy Mcqueeney, Officer Commander of the centre for lower limb rehabilitation, based in the complex, who explained what the new building and facilities meant for her patients and staff. She said: “This is the first time at Headley Court we have had a purpose-built facility rather than having to work around an original infrastructure. The new complex is the perfect environment for the delivery of care and it is functionally and practically much better than anything we have had to work in before. It is a very calm place, a quiet and tranquil environment which of course is fantastic for both patients and staff. This stems from the space there is available – staff and patients are content because they have the freedom to move. This allows patients to focus on their rehabilitation and although we are 
only a month or so in since patients started to use the complex it is not too early to say there has been a marked improvement in patients.”
But it is not just the new building and equipment which has made all the difference. The fact that the complex was built with funds raised by the British public has also had a huge impact.
Major Mcqueeney explained: “Quite often patients are late to their classes because they have stopped to read the engraved paving stones, so even before they enter the complex there is a sense of occasion. It means so much to them that the sacrifices they have made have been recognised, that the building they are using for their recovery 
was given to them by the British public and that, I think, has made as much of a difference as the complex and its contents.”
Everyone who toured the complex was impressed – each and every room really does have the ‘wow’ factor. From the huge sports hall with its sprung floor to the cardiovascular gym filled with state of the art fitness machines, including anti-gravity treadmill - which can alleviate up to 90% of an individual’s weight allowing patients to gradually increase their strength.
There are treatment rooms including a Regional Rehabilitation Unit and Gait Analysis Centre. The Gait lab is a highly specialised environment which will enable staff at Headley Court to scientifically measure how patients walk; this is especially valuable in helping patients who are learning to walk with prosthetic limbs.
The 25-metre, five lane wide swimming pool includes a movable floor that allows activities to be carried out at variable depths, helping the physiotherapy staff to adjust treatment regimes to meet the needs of their patients. The pool has been designed so that two different groups of patients can exercise in it at the same time ensuring that all patients at Headley Court have as many chances as possible to benefit from their new complex.
At the deep end of the swimming pool, jets are installed for patients to swim against or use for resistance training.
There is even has a Jacuzzi where the men and women can relax after a long hard day getting their bodies back into shape.
There are also spacious consulting rooms and examination areas for the treatment of patients and analysis of injuries.
The complex really is a standing symbol of respect the British public hold for the members of our armed forces and every single brick, tile and slate was paid for by you.
Help for Heroes is about the ‘blokes’, the men and women of our armed forces, but it also about you, the British public. Now there are patients swimming in the pool, receiving the best care possible and that is thanks to each and every one of you. So, give yourselves a pat on the back, well done and thank you.
Thank you to Getty Images, Gill Shaw, BFBS, Pride and Peter Noyce for the use of their photographs.
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