The Sun backs Help for Heroes; ‘What will you do for our wounded heroes?'
The Sun has backed H4H since we started in October 2007. Their Political Editor (formally Defence Editor) Tom Newton Dunn, rang us just days after we launched and offered his full support. The Sun got behind our wristband campaign and made it massive. Now over 700,000 people wear our bands and show their support for our boys and girls.
The Sun made H4H their charity for their Christmas ‘07 appeal and raised thousands. Then the Sun introduced us to Simon Cowell and X Factor, which led to us being the beneficiaries of the fastest selling charity single of the decade. Then, at the star studded Sun Military Awards, where we won the best support for the Armed Forces, The Sun top team told us that they were going to back us again in 2008. They have continued their support right through to 2011, with Tom, current Defence editor Virginia Wheeler & Page 3 girl Amii Grove joining us on the Big Battlefield Bike Ride 2011.
The 2008 Sun Campaign
The new campaign has taken months to create. The creatives at WCRS came up with the concept, Rattling Stick made it happen, Johnny Vegas did the voiceover. At the end of January, dozens of our fundraisers went to film studios in London to spend a day being ‘shot’ doing their events. Those images became part of an advertisement that appeared on TV and billboards all over the UK, to promote the race to raise £20m to pay for seven Recovery Centres.
To read more about what The Sun is doing to support H4H, just go to their website - www.the-sun.co.uk/heroes
What will you do for our wounded heroes?
The Sun is just one organisation that is doing its bit to support our boys and girls. Other newspapers, TV stations, advertising companies, motorcycling clubs, running clubs, fire stations, Rotary, big businesses, small businesses; everyone is joining in this huge display of affection. All over Great Britain, people are doing their bit to raise money and awareness, it’s not exclusive to the Sun, everyone can and is joining us in helping to support our young men and women who are wounded in the line of duty. Do what ever you can, run, jump, climb, cycle, film, write.. What ever you do best, just do it to raise money so we can help make our heroes’ lives a little bit better. Ordinary people, extraordinary effort.
Thank you everyone
"To the saddle sore, the rich, the poor,To those who baked a thousand cakes
Cut hair, made bears, raced carts, topped the charts,
You helped our blokes, and for that, we’re stoked.
You swam the oceans, you crossed the straights,
You waxed your chest hair, skied, ran, rowed, walked, ate.
£32million you raised to build pools, combat stress,
So Our Lads and Lasses stand tall, like the rest.
But this year we need you to do more,
So we ask, what will you do?
Spare some change, climb a mountain, what ever suits you.
For now , though, thank you all.
Thanks to all those who gave,
Thank you all, you good people who helped the brave."
To that may I add my personal thanks to everyone who worked on and took part in this campaign. Thank you, The Sun and all the other good people, for backing Help for Heroes. It is greatly appreciated.
Bryn
Co Founder, Help for Heroes
General Sir Richard Dannatt, the Army's Chief of General Staff
“Soldiers on operations rarely think of themselves as heroes; they believe they’re doing a job they have been trained for and joined the Army to do. But a soldier’s job is physically exhausting, mentally testing and incredibly dangerous. In the green zone of Helmand and elsewhere, our young men and women are called upon to demonstrate immense bravery and courage on a daily basis. They put their lives on the line for their friends, for their country, and in many instances for the Afghan or Iraqi people. Even if they don’t realise it, they are all heroes.
"Over the past 18 months, Help for Heroes has become a banner under which many have rallied to show their respect and gratitude to the Armed Forces. The general public and the soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen who serve them have been brought closer together. The excellent relationship that now exists fills our troops with pride and confidence that they have the support of their nation. The money raised by the astonishing efforts of the public under the Help for Heroes banner and the other Service Charities coupled with the Government’s own efforts, do much to ensure our injured Service people receive the care and support they deserve. Pulling together has always been the British way. I am immensely grateful and humbled by what Help for Heroes have done, are doing and will continue to do - I know our heroes feel exactly the same.”Andy McNab, SAS legend and The Sun’s Security Adviser
“I am very proud to be a patron of H4H and part of all that we have achieved together, to support our injured troops. We have really begun to make a positive impact on their lives. However, this is just the beginning. These brave men and women are going to need our continued support for many years to come. The money you give not only provides the big stuff, like building a swimming pool and gym complex at the MoD's rehabilitation centre at Headley Court, where our wounded learn to use their new artificial limbs, and get their bodies back into the best possible condition. Your money also provides simple things in life for our troops, like providing Troop Aid 'Hero Grab Bags'. These bags contain stuff like washing kit, a t-shirt, underwear, socks and phone card, and are given out to our injured troops on admission to hospital back in the UK. Your money will also allow wounded soldiers to leave the hospital for an hour for a pie and a pint with their loved ones. This gets them out of their hospital bed and starts getting them used to being seen in public with their horrendous scars or perhaps a limb missing.
"Money donated to H4H helps those suffering with physical wounds, but it also goes to support our veterans with mental wounds. Those suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder are just as much a casualty of war as a soldier who has been shot. Our wounded Servicemen and women deserve 21st century care for wounds inflicted by 21st century warfare. I can’t think of a better way of supporting our troops than by donating whatever you can to Help for Heroes.”
Bryn Parry, Co Founder, Help for Heroes“Help for Heroes is simple. We can’t prevent our boys and girls getting injured in the line of duty and we can’t fight alongside them in Afghanistan, but we can do something to help. All of us can do something; we can all do our bit, we can help them get better. All across Great Britain people are doing their bit to help: running, climbing, jumping, cycling, baking, and walking. Anything that is decent, legal and safe and anything that can raise money to help our blokes.
"This is urgent, this is needed and this is appreciated by the Armed Forces. They say they are not heroes, that they are just doing their job, we say that anyone who joins up knowing the risks is a hero and we admire them; we want to help them.
"Thank you for backing Help for Heroes.”
Tom Newton Dunn, Sun Defence Editor
“It’s a hugely ambitious task. But we also know our wonderful readers are capable of miracles. You’ve proved it already — so together, let’s prove it again.
"The Sun won two of the biggest gongs at the 2008 British Press Awards, the newspapers’ Oscars, for our Help for Heroes coverage. Not only did we scoop Campaign of the Year, but also the highly sought-after Cudlipp Award for excellence in popular journalism.
"Of both we’re enormously proud. But not as proud as we are of you. None of the accolades or cash totals would have been possible without YOUR kindness, sympathy and generosity to those who have given so much for all of us. As our adverts say, thank you all so much — but please don’t stop now. ”