Help for Heroes speeches

I wonder how many people sit down each evening in the kitchen, open a bottle of wine and share a Victor Meldrew moment, “ I can’t believe it… what has gone wrong, how can that happen, it is so bloody depressing, what can we do?” There are so many problems, so many issues and there is so little we can do that we might as well open a bottle of Merlot and watch the latest ‘cooking, location, fat but sexy with your clothes off’ show’…hopeless, so what is the point? . . .

It has been a quite extraordinary three months since Help for Heroes was launched on 1st October. In twelve weeks we have raised £2.2 million towards the rehabilitation complex at Headley Court, sold hundreds of thousands of wristbands, worked some silly hours and helped to raise awareness and support for our Servicemen and women. We have had the most extraordinary support from the media, particularly The Sun and The Sunday Times and of course, Francie and Jeremy Clarkson who have done so much to get us into the glare of the public spotlight . . .

As you may know, Emma and I wanted to help the wounded coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan. We didn’t know much about what was happening but, like many people, we thought we would like to help in some way; nothing more than that. We had no agenda, no point to make; we simply wanted to help.

We thought it might be a good idea if we organised a sponsored bike ride and gave the proceeds to the wounded. We thought it would be as simple as that; go on a ride, raise some money, give it over, feel good and go back to one’s normal life. Wrong, it does not work like that. Over the last three months we have had to jump so many hurdles, meet so many people and listen to so many problems, just to do something as simple as raise and give some money to where it is needed . . .

Before I go any further let me make a couple of points.

Firstly, I am not a soldier.... I was a Rifleman 22 years ago and I am very proud of it. I have a son who is at Sandhurst and I am very proud of him too… but I am not a soldier. I am a civilian and as a cartoonist, this is way out of my normal life … so please make allowances for that. If I say soldiers I mean servicemen and women . . .

This is the first ‘despatch’ from a new organisation established to provide direct help to our soldiers, sailors and airmen who have been wounded in one of Britain’s current theatres of operation.

Although I am now a cartoonist, I was an army officer for ten years and know the true meaning of the newspaper headline; ‘One killed, four wounded, two critically’. However, nothing in my experience came close to what our servicemen and women are facing in Iraq and Afghanistan. Scores of casualties face long periods of recovery; some will have to cope with the consequences of their injuries for the rest of their lives. The very least we can do is make that process as easy as possible . . .