Help for Heroes Patrons

Hero Patrons:

Johnson Beharry VC of the Princess of Wales’ Royal Regiment is a British soldier who, on 18 March 2005, was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest military decoration for valour in the British and Commonwealth armed forces, for twice saving members of his unit from ambushes on 1 May and 11 June 2004 at Al-Amarah, Iraq. He sustained serious head injuries in the latter engagement.

Captain Peter Norton GC was the second-in-command of the US Combined Explosives Exploitation Cell (CEXC) based in the outskirts of Baghdad. The unit has been in the forefront of counter Improvised Explosive Device (IED) operations and it plays a vital role in the collection and analysis of weapons intelligence.

Founder Patrons:

Jeremy and Francie Clarkson have been closely involved with helping and supporting wounded Servicemen and their families at Selly Oak and Headley Court. Francie is the daughter of a hero, her father won a VC at Arnhem and we were delighted when they agreed to become Help for Heroes Founder Patrons on our launch in 2007.

General Sir Richard Dannatt KCB CBE MC - Former Chief of the General Staff - was commissioned into The Green Howards in 1971. He has served with the 1st Battalion in Northern Ireland, Cyprus and Germany and commanded the Battalion in the Airmobile role from 1989 to 1991. From 1994 to1996 he commanded 4th Armoured Brigade in Germany and Bosnia. He took command of 3rd (United Kingdom) Division in January 1999, and also served in Kosovo that year as Commander British Forces. In 2000 he returned to Bosnia as the Deputy Commander Operations of the Stabilisation Force (SFOR). From 2001 to 2002 he was the Assistant Chief of the General Staff in the Ministry of Defence before taking command of NATO's Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC). In March 2005 he took over as Commander-in-Chief Land Command, and assumed the appointment of Chief of the General Staff in August 2006. He retired from the Army in August 2009 to become Constable of The Tower of London, before resigning from the post shortly afterwards. In October 2009 he stepped down from the role of Trustee of Help for Heroes but will continue to support the charity in his non executive role as a Founder Patron.

Richard Benyon MP is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Newbury. He was commissioned into the Royal Green Jackets in 1981 and served in Northern Ireland and the Far East. On leaving the Army he qualified as a Chartered Surveyor. As well as being a farmer he ran a property business. In Parliament he is a Shadow Minister for the Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs and has taken a great interest in defence and security issues. He is married to Zoe and has five sons.

Patrons:

Ross Kemp is an actor, author and BAFTA winning documentary maker. He rose to prominence in the role of Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders. Since 2006, Kemp has received international recognition for his investigative documentaries, specialising in the area of gang culture. His latest endeavours have seen him on the front line with British Troops during OP HERRICKS 6, 7 and 9.

Sir Ian Botham - "These days the word Hero is used far too often! Over the years I have been inspired by many people, from the incredible young boys and girls with Leukaemia to our brave Servicemen and women, all of them real Heroes. I had the privilege of visiting Selly Oak Hospital some months ago where I met just some of the wounded Heroes from our Armed Services. It was a humbling and inspirational visit.

"Our young men and women of the Armed Forces will say that they are not heroes, they will tell you that they are just blokes doing their job. I think that anyone who volunteers to serve in time of war, knowing that they may risk all, is a hero. These are ordinary people doing extraordinary things and some of them are living with the consequences of their service for life. We may not be able to prevent Servicemen and women from being wounded, but together we can help them get better. I am delighted to be able to 'do my bit' to help Real Heroes and ask that you do your bit, for only being united can we ensure these courageous young men and women get the very best, they deserve it!

"I am delighted, honoured and very proud to become a Patron of Help For Heroes. Please join me and Help for Heroes, together we can make a difference."

Corporal Mark Sutcliffe is serving with the 2nd Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment "The Poachers". He lost his left leg in Basra in July 2006 after being hit by an RPG. He has made a successful recovery and is currently a Military Liason Officer at Selly Oak hospital.

WO2 Andy Newell PARA is serving in 16 Air Assault Brigade. In July 2006 his right arm was shattered in the bitter and prolonged fighting at Musa Qua’leh in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He has undergone extensive surgery including bone grafts but expects to make a full recovery. He hopes to extend his service in the Army.

Chris Holmes MBE MA is Britain's most successful Paralympic swimmer ever, winning nine gold medals, six of which have been at single games. Despite losing his sight overnight aged only 14, Chris gained straight A's at A- level and a place at Cambridge University to read politics. While still at university, Chris won 6 gold medals at the Barcelona Games in 1992. He is now an international lawyer and sits on the board at UK Sport, the Disability Rights commission and was an Ambassador to the London 2012 Olympic bid.

Chris Moon MBE: After leaving the Army, Chris Moon worked for a charity clearing landmines and the debris of war in Asia and Africa and is one of the few westerners to have survived abduction by Khmer Rouge guerrillas. He was blown up while walking in the cleared area of a minefield in remote East Africa in 1995. Less than a year after leaving hospital, Chris did the London Marathon and subsequently many of the world’s toughest ultra marathons, raising funds for charities assisting the disabled.

Shortly after being injured he enrolled on a Masters Degree in Security Management at Leicester University which he completed, wrote his autobiography One Step Beyond and went into business as a speaker and trainer on mindset, motivation and leadership.

Andy Stockton served with 32 Regiment Royal Artillery for 19 and a half years reaching the rank of Warrant Officer Class 2. Andy, originally from Chester, has served three tours of Northern Ireland, three tours in Iraq and more recently Afghanistan. Andy lost his arm during an ambush by the Taliban in Sangin, Helmand Province, Afghanistan on 11th June 2006 . Andy was medically discharged from the Army on 23rd September this year and lives with his wife in Wiltshire.

Viscount Brookeborough was involved with the Security Forces in Northern Ireland for 30 years and is only too aware of the vital part Headley Court has played in the recovery of the hundreds of Servicemen and women wounded in that time. Now that the conflict in Northern Ireland is resolved, the need for our world class rehabilitation centre continues and he is delighted to offer his support to Help for Heroes to enhance the lives of our wounded Service Personnel.

Lady Victoria Leatham was Honorary Colonel of 158 Royal Anglian TA from 1996 until 2003. She managed her family home, Burghley House, home of the International Burghley Horse Trials, until this year when she retired. She is a member of the Court of Drapers Company and one of the experts on The Antiques Road Show. She is a keen supporter of the Armed Forces.

James Blunt was commissioned an officer in the Life Guards regiment, a unit of the Household Cavalry of the British Army. He rose to the rank of Captain and served as an armoured reconnaissance officer in the NATO peacekeeping force in Kosovo. He was put in charge of leading 30,000 troops into Pristina as the first British officer to enter the Kosovan capital. It was while on duty in Kosovo that he wrote the song "No Bravery".

Monty Halls is a high profile figure in the worlds of diving and adventure. This ex Royal Marines Officer has led numerous expeditions and projects throughout the world, and is a marine biologist, travel writer, television presenter and public speaker of note. Monty’s work, undertaking all manner of unusual projects, has taken him around the world to a huge variety of environments.

Gill Shaw ABIPP AMPA has been a professional photographer for 18 years. Gill has photographed celebrities, royals, presidents and prime ministers on a regular basis. Gill’s first book, ‘Slightly Offstage’, raised funds for ‘Society of Stars’. Gill also won the photographer of the year for her involvement in opening a clinic in Africa for ‘Support for Africa’. In September 2009, Gill launched ‘The Hero Inside’ book and exhibition to raise funds for Help for Heroes. In October 2009, Gill also received a Special Recognition Award for her inspirational work on behalf of charities.

Andy McNab: After being abandoned as a baby, Andy was adopted and was brought up in the Peckham area of South London. A life of minor crime followed until he joined the infantry with the Royal Green Jackets in 1976, progressing to the SAS. In the Gulf War, McNab commanded the Bravo Two Zero patrol, given the task of destroying underground communication links in Iraq and mobile Scud launchers. Three of the eight man patrol were killed, one escaped and four were taken prisoner by the Iraqis and tortured over a six week period. He's been awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal and the Military Medal and was the British Army's most highly decorated serving soldier when he left the SAS in 1993.

Ken Hames served in the British Army for 25 years. He started as a tank driver but was lucky enough to be selected for Sandhurst and spent most of his career as an officer with the Queens Regiment and the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment. Life was never dull and he saw numerous tours of duty in Northern Ireland, the Falklands, (while on secondment to the Royal Marines) and eventually became an SAS Troop and Squadron Commander where as he puts it 'he got sent away to some very unsafe places and couldn't tell anybody anything about it'!

Ken's experiences in the Army led him to other careers in television, public speaking and leadership training. He recently made a moving and much acclaimed documentary on BBC1 that highlighted the plight of homeless servicemen and women. His series Beyond Boundaries on BBC2 has done a lot to change perceptions about disability and he is currently working on a new series to be filmed this year that will tell the story of injured soldiers from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts and their battle back to fitness. In what spare time he has Ken is mad about expeditions, climbing and rugby and lives in Bristol. Ken is passionate about the work of Help for Heroes and is planning his own challenge to raise money and awareness.

Col David Richards Colonel David Richmond has deployed to NI, Iraq in 1991 (OP GRANBY), Bosnia, Iraq (OP TELIC) and Afghanistan. He commanded The Argylls, 5 SCOTS during OP HERRICK 8 and was seriously wounded during a Battle Group operation near Musa Qaleh. He is still undergoing treatment and remains a regular customer at Headley Court. In his honorary role as the ‘senior casualty’ he was a member of the Independent Scrutiny Committee of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme Review which reported its findings on 10 Feb 10. He is currently the Chief of Staff of the Land Warfare Centre.

Anneka Rice has worked with the forces for over 20 years. Memorable (to her anyway) projects include becoming an Honorary Sapper in the Royal Engineers and getting stuck half way down a death slide; landing a helicopter on top of a submarine during "Treasure Hunt", and presenting "Combat" for ITV, where regiments competed in gruelling physical challenges. The forces have helped her on numerous "Challenge Annekas" and she is delighted to be involved with Help for Heroes.

Major Phil Packer was injured following a rocket attack in Basra on 19th Feb 08. The incident left Phil without the use of his legs and he is now a paraplegic with what are classed as catastrophic injuries. Initially, he was told he would never walk again though there have been positive improvements, so much so that in April 2009 he completed the Flora London Marathon, walking 2 miles a day over a 2 week period on crutches. Phil visited Bryn and Emma Parry at H4H and having seen the work that them and their team do, he decided that until he was able to return to work in the Army, he would commit himself to assisting others and provide information on sports and events to the disabled community, both military and civilian. He pledged to raise £1 million for H4H and, to date, has achieved well beyond that target through a variety of amazing events.

Peta Todd the pin-up is a 22 year old glamour model, featuring in pages from the Sun's page 3 to FHMs 2008 Calendar. Peta has been a key supporter of H4H since the start and has thrown herself into many fundraising events, including the H4H Big Battlefield Bike ride, toboggan racing and wingwalking. She has even visited Afghanistan to boost troop morale, she truly is the forces pin-up!

Lydia Cross - in 2003, when she was only two years old, Lydia contracted Meningitis with Septicaemia. After being placed on life support and suffering multi organ failure, she pulled through but after countless operations she still had to have below knee double amputations.

Lydia, now 9, never lets her disability stop her doing what she wants. She wanted to raise money for Help For Heroes and decided all on her own to do a sponsored swim. The swim was only planned to be 20 Lengths but then on the day, with Matt Kingston and family and friends cheering her on, Lydia swam 64 lengths in 64 minutes, 1 mile, raising just over £13,500.

Lydia and her family then organised a 1 mile run/walk in Braunton to raise money for H4H, the sponsorship of which went towards Matt and Ben’s 2010 London Marathon total. Ben and Mark Ormrod both came to support Lydia on her 1 mile run along with hundreds of people. In August 2010 Lydia and the rest of her family will climb Pen-Y-Fan to continue their H4H fundraising.

"Ben McBean, Mark Ormrod and Matt Kingston are Lydia’s heroes," explains Lydia’s mum Jodie, "they’ve made Lydia feel proud of herself, feel proud to show her legs off – it is totally due to them. The reason why Lydia wants to do so much for these men and raise money for them, is because in her words, 'They have got leggies like me and I want to help.'"

Ben McBean – On 28th February 2008, Ben was on foot patrol in Afghanistan when he stepped on a land mine. As a result, he lost his left arm and his right leg was amputated above the knee. A little over a year after being wounded, Ben took part in the 2009 London Marathon and raised money for H4H. Despite being in unbearable pain from his prosthetic, Ben completed the marathon in 6 hours and 15 minutes. Since then, he has completed many challenges, including trekking to Everest Base camp on the Khumbu Challenge and running the 2010 London Marathon, beating his time from the previous year.

Help for Heroes Service Friends:

HMS BULWARK, the Royal Navy's FLEET Amphibious Flagship capable of Commanding a Brigade level Amphibious Assault. Launched in November 2001 she has a ship's company of 390, a quarter of whom are made up from 4 Assault Squadron Royal Marines (4ASRM). BULWARK's fundraising efforts and involvement with the Big Battlefield Big Bike Ride has led to her being described as 'Help for Heroes favourite ship'.

Read more...

RAF Lossiemouth, is the largest and busiest fast-jet base in the Royal Air Force. The Station is home to 3 operational squadrons of Tornado GR4s, the Tornado GR4 Operational Conversion unit, a Sea King Search & Rescue Flight, an RAF Regiment Field Squadron and an RAF Regiment Auxiliary Squadron, as well as an extensive range of operational, logistic and administrative support functions. Their day-to-day task is to train and prepare for the projection of air power on operations world-wide. Their commitment of people and aircraft to current operations is wide-ranging and continuous: together with the rest of the RAF, they make a pivotal contribution to the defence and security interests of the UK. They are also a major and well-integrated part of the local community in Moray, an outstandingly beautiful part of Scotland.