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The Charity was set up in 2007, when young men and women were returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with horrific injuries. After surviving these injuries, the care and support waiting for them wasn't good enough. So, Bryn Parry CBE, Emma Parry OBE, and a small group of people set up the Charity to give veterans and their families the support they need and deserve. From the start, the British public have been incredibly generous. So far, we have changed the lives of more than 32,000 people*.  

*As of May 2024.

We help anyone who has served in the British Armed Forces. No matter where or when they served, or how long for. We support people who served in the Regular and Reserve branches of the military.  

When a veteran is finding life tough, it affects those around them. That’s why we support families and loved ones too.   

We also support people who have worked alongside the British Armed Forces. For example, since 2016 we have been helping people from Afghanistan who worked as translators with the UK military. We support their families too. 

On average, four people are medically discharged every day from the UK Armed Forces*. And veterans who were not medically discharged also come to us with injuries, illnesses and poor mental health.  

Military service can take a heavy toll on people’s mental health. For some the effects surface months, years or even decades afterwards.  

Life after the Armed Forces can be tough. Especially if a military career has been cut short unexpectedly. Overnight, people lose not only their job, but a way of life and a support network that was like a family.  

When people leave the Armed Forces, they might not have the experience or skills needed for the civilian world. People can struggle to find a job or somewhere to live, cook, manage money, apply for benefits, or get the healthcare support they need.  

Isolation and loneliness are big problems in the veteran community.  

Our services can tackle all these challenges faced by veterans. We also hold governments to account through our campaigning work. And we raise public awareness about the ways veterans are let down by their country.  

In the summer of 2022, we surveyed veterans and serving personnel with self-declared long-term health conditions, and their families**. The responses of 810 veterans revealed that 85 per cent struggle with their mental health every day, 82 per cent are worried about the cost of living, and 82 per cent have experienced feelings of loneliness.

 
*Source: Ministry of Defence, July 2022.

** Help for Heroes Veterans and Families Survey 2022. 

Since 2007, thanks to the support of our partners, donors, fundraisers and volunteers, we’ve transformed the lives of more than 32,000 individuals*. 

Between 1 October 2022 and 30 September 2023, we supported 3,940 veterans and family members**.  
 
*As of May 2024.

**Source: Help for Heroes Annual Report 2022/23. 

Our mission is to help all individuals in the Armed Forces community to live well after military service.  

Our teams help people in a range of ways including with their physical and mental health, wellbeing and with welfare issues. We help people on their healthcare journeys. Our team of nurses, occupational therapists and medical advisors help people get the right information, treatment, and support to improve their physical health.  

We have a mental health service for veterans and families, called the Hidden Wounds team. This gives people access to one-to-one therapy sessions. 

Our Recovery College provides free courses and self-help guides to give people life skills and knowledge to help them live independently and to be happy and healthy. 

We provide grant funding to pay for items and support if people are finding life difficult due to an injury, illness or poor mental health. For example, we can help pay for adaptations to people’s homes to help them get into and around their property, and to live comfortably. We can help with the costs of medical devices, such as a leg brace or wheelchair. 

If someone has complex or multiple needs, we can assign them a case manager to co-ordinate their support. They will work with the individual to draw up a recovery plan specific for them, and make sure it is meeting all their needs. Case managers can help people with a wide range of issues, such as housing, dealing with debt, or applying for benefits or a War Pension. 

Our free sport and social events tackle loneliness and isolation among the veteran community and enhance individuals' wellbeing.  

We work with people in their homes and communities across the UK, as well as through video and telephone calls. 

Please visit our Get Help pages for more information. 

Yes, and there is continued high demand for our support. 

In 2022/23, our bespoke mental health service for veterans and their families, the Hidden Wounds team, supported 1,373 people*.  

The team offers treatment, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and counselling, to support people with a range of mental health difficulties such as anxiety, depression, trauma, grief and anger. 
 
We also work closely with other military and mental health organisations to ensure everyone seeking specialist treatment gets the help they need. Psychological support for Service Personnel is provided by the Ministry of Defence (MOD).  

*Source: Help for Heroes Annual Report 2022/23. 

Yes, we can provide grant funding to help people overcome challenges posed by an injury or illness.  

This can include medical equipment, such as a leg brace or a wheelchair. We might be able to help pay for changes to someone’s home to help them get into and around their property. Other items we’ve funded include adaptive beds and chairs. 

If we can’t provide grant funding, we will signpost people to another organisation who might be able to help. We can also help people to look at what state benefits and other support they might be entitled to.  

In 2022/23 the Charity awarded £818,000 in Grants supporting veterans and their families*, this was an increase of 84 per cent in the value of grant funding compared to the year before. 

*Source: Help for Heroes Annual Report 2022/23. 

For more information visits our grant funding page

Those wounded while serving are usually transferred to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham for medical treatment. 
 
Their clinical recovery takes place at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC) Stanford Hall. Here people receive support for physical, neurological and mental health issues. 
 
All Headley Court facilities have been recreated at Stanford Hall. This includes the swimming pool and rehabilitation complex our amazing supporters helped us to fund. We work closely with DMRC to make sure everyone affected by their service in the Armed Forces can either return to their military unit or take the next step into their new life as a veteran. 
 
We continue to campaign for injured veterans with complex rehabilitation needs to have access to world class expertise and facilities, such as those provided at DMRC.  

For information on how we support veterans and their families with their physical health recovery journey.

The DMRC is primarily for serving Armed Forces personnel. Only veterans who have issues with prosthetics can be seen there, once they have been assessed by the Veterans Prosthetics Panel.

Yes. People are not being treated fairly by the country they risked their lives for. This is an injustice we’re not prepared to accept.

We have 11 priority policy asks on behalf of veterans in our 2023/24 General Election manifesto.

• Veterans who receive the War Pensions or the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme should not lose other benefits they’re entitled to.
• End the practice of veterans with limb amputations having to complete multiple Work Capability and Personal Independence Payments reassessments.
• Add chronic pain as a condition within the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme tariffs.
• Establish a compensation scheme for UK veterans who served in nuclear weapons tests between 1952 and 1967 in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and other Pacific Islands.
• Commission an independent review of the medical discharge process.
• Reinstate long-term funding for the Veterans Hearing Loss Fund.
• Abolish application fees for permanent residency rights for non-UK citizens who have served in the Armed Forces for four years.
• Resettle all eligible family members of Afghan Locally Employed Civilians (LECs) in the UK, by 2025. LECs are people who served alongside British Armed Forces during the Afghanistan war, such as interpreters.
• Establish a financial compensation scheme and restore pension entitlements to LGBT+ veterans who were wrongfully discharged prior to the lifting of the ban on homosexuality in the Armed Forces.
• The Office for Veterans' Affairs should be maintained, and it should be headed by a cabinet-attending minister.
• Expand the scope of the Armed Forces covenant in law so it covers the UK Government, as well as issues such as social care, employment, pensions, compensation, and immigration.

Many veterans and their families experience social isolation and miss the camaraderie of the Armed Forces network they’ve left behind. 

To help tackle this we provide opportunities for people to meet others who have been through similar experiences, through structured activities and events.  

We put on a wide range of hobby, sporting, arts, crafts and musical activities, as well as social events, coffee mornings and drop-in sessions. We host events people can attend in their local communities across the UK as well as online. 

To find out about sport and social opportunities for veterans and families visit our sports and social activities page. 

In 2021/22, thanks to our amazing supporters, fundraisers, partners and volunteers, we raised £18.9 million* in support of veterans and their families.  

*Source: 2021/22 Annual Report. 

To ensure we are here for veterans and families for as long as they need us, we must: 

• Spend money on the delivery of our recovery services and on championing the needs of veterans and families, so people can live well after service. These strands of work are known as our Services and Campaigning. 
• Spend money on our marketing and fundraising efforts so that we can continue to raise donations from the generous UK public and businesses, who we rely on for more than 90 per cent of our income*. 
• Spend money on governance, IT systems and processes. This is to ensure we are properly looking after the interests and data of our veterans, volunteers and supporters. These are known as Essential Support Costs. 
• Put money aside to protect the future of our services, so that we can meet unprecedented increases in demand for support and survive if our income drops. This is known as Keeping Reserves. 

We believe you have a right to know how we spend our funds. We are committed to delivering the maximum impact in return for your donations. It is not possible to accurately compare how every pound is spent by different charities. No two charities are the same, and the way each one raises, spends and reports their funds is different. 

In 2020/21 our charity expenditure broke down as: 

• 80 per cent on Services and Campaigning 
• 10 per cent on Fundraising 
• 10 per cent on Essential Support Costs. 

We put our veterans at the heart of every decision we make. When we spend money to raise money, we do so to make every pound go further for our cause. Every £1 we spend on fundraising raises £3.50 to support veterans and families. 

*Source: Help for Heroes Annual Report 2020/21. 

Financial reserves ensure that we can continue to run our services and support veterans and their families, even if our donation levels fall. 
 
Events that are outside of our control, such as economic uncertainty, inflation and international conflicts or disasters, can quickly have a big impact on our funds and the demand for our services. 
 
Over the years we have built up reserves to ensure we weather storms such as these. Reserves mean we can continue to fulfil our promise to be here for veterans and their families for as long as they need us. 
 

We currently aim to have between one and two years’ non-recovery running costs in our general fund. As of 30 September 2022 our General Fund was £40.6 million* which was above that range. 

*Source: Help for Heroes Annual Report 2021/22. 

Yes, we simply couldn’t exist without our team of dedicated staff. Veterans and their families have given so much, and they deserve the best support and the very best people to provide it. 
 
Many employees are specialists, with a range of professional qualifications in areas as diverse as psychological support, adaptive sports coaching and occupational therapy. We also employ veterans or people with close links to the military. At least one-third of our 267 staff* have links to the military or are from military families. 
 
Alongside this, we depend on an amazing army of 600 dedicated volunteers, who give up their time freely, to support us and help keep costs to an absolute minimum. 

*Information correct at 31 July 2023. 

In 2020/21 we spent £8.1 million on staff wages to an average number of 251 staff employed during the financial year. * 

Staff pay levels, including that of our CEO, are reached by an external audit using data from organisations of a similar status to us. In 2019/20 all staff accepted a reduction in pay as a result of efficiency measures due to the pandemic. 

We also depend on the time and generosity of 785 volunteers around the country and have a board of Trustees; none of whom receive payment. 

*Source: Help for Heroes Annual Report 2020/21. 

No, our Trustees govern the Charity on a voluntary basis. They meet regularly during the year to consider, determine, and review Help for Heroes' strategies and policies, and to receive reports from senior management. 

Help for Heroes is a registered Charity in England and Wales (number 1120920) and Scotland (SCO44984). 

Help for Heroes is also a company limited by Guarantee Registered in England and Wales under number 6363256. 

Over the years, we’ve made changes to how we deliver support as our understanding of the mental and physical health needs of veterans has improved. We know that the best outcomes happen when individuals gain the knowledge and tools to manage their condition and create a strong support network within their local community. 

In 2021 we reached an agreement with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) for all four Help for Heroes recovery centres, including Tedworth House, to be operated and funded by the Ministry of Defence for 12 months. They are being used to deliver core recovery activities to wounded service personnel. In March 2022, this agreement was extended as we continue to work on a longer-term agreement. 

We are delivering face-to-face support in people’s homes and communities, as well as online. This allows us to reach more veterans and families across the UK. We are delivering the same services in a more accessible way. 

We recognise that the centres are special places and have been an important part of a lot of people’s recovery journeys. We are pleased they will continue to play a crucial role in the rehabilitation of injured Armed Forces personnel. 

We are immensely proud of Help for Heroes’ special legacy with Team UK and the Invictus Games. We trained and developed the team for the first five games following the competition’s launch in 2014.  

In the spring of 2022, the Ministry of Defence decided that the Royal British Legion will have sole responsibility for the delivery of Team UK to the Invictus Games over the next five years. It will also be the main funder for Team UK.  

Unfortunately, therefore, we are no longer directly involved in Team UK. 

We believe this is a chance for Help for Heroes to deliver its sport series to even more veterans and families. We passionately believe in the power of sport to improve people’s physical and mental health, and happiness. We want to help more veterans on their first steps back into sport and physical activity. Our teams across the UK provide exciting sporting opportunities to people of all abilities, including adaptive sports.  

We will continue to cheer on Team UK and look forward to seeing what the Invictus Games achieves in the future. 

We are grateful to everyone who chooses to support us, as an individual, organisation, or business. There are many ways you can do your bit to help us raise money to support our wounded. 

Please visit our Give Support pages to find out how you can get involved. 

Yes, you can; and we’d like to thank you for thinking of helping us in this special and far-reaching way. By leaving a legacy you can play a part in our life-changing rehabilitation and recovery services. This will give vital support and hope to veterans and service personnel in years to come.  

Many of the men and women we serve have complex conditions that will worsen over time. People will need more intense support as they get older. Knowing we have friends like you who are kind enough to remember Help for Heroes in your Will gives us the confidence to plan ahead so veterans and their families can get the care they deserve for the rest of their lives. 

Do you have more questions about Gifts in Wills? Check out our Gifts in Wills FAQs or get in touch with our legacy team on 01725 514965 or email Legacies@helpforheroes.org.uk 

We have based our aims for our financial year of 1 October 2021 to 30 September 2022, around four major areas of work:  

• Reshaping Recovery 
• Championing the Wounded 
• Funding the Cause 

• Making it Happen. 

Recovery – We will do all we can to ensure a fair deal for veterans, their loved ones and people who served alongside the UK Armed Forces. We are passionate that those we serve can lead productive and purposeful lives, remain physically and mentally well, and feel safe and secure. 

Championing the Wounded – We will continue to grow the Charity’s reputation as a leading and trusted authority on the Armed Forces Community. Through campaigning and collaboration, we will address Government policy gaps. We will ensure that veterans and their families have a clear voice to influence the Charity’s plans and service delivery. We are working hard to be a more inclusive brand and organisation, which truly values diversity. 

Funding the Cause – We want to deepen supporters’ connection to veterans’ needs and demonstrate how their support allows us to make a difference. We aim to find new ways to inspire supporters in our work. We will strive to motivate new supporters, philanthropists and strategic partnerships to give. Through our trading arm, we will continue to develop popular products, and enhance the user experience and engagement in our online shop. 

Making it happen – We will continue to be a team that makes things happen. We will be an agile team, working efficiently and effectively. Our people will feel engaged and inspired, connected to our cause, clear on our purpose and committed to continually delivering excellence. 

You will be trekking over hilly, varied terrain with narrow rocky tracks, and some exposed sections. There is also some walking on soft, loose sand. Some climbs – and descents – are steep, particularly on the first day in the mountains; you should have a good level of fitness and stamina.

You will trek approximately 95-100km on this trip overall.

At the start and end of the trek you stay in a good standard hotel (3-4*) on a twin-share basis. If you are travelling alone, you will be paired up with someone of the same sex and similar age – please let us know if you wish to share with a particular person.

Whilst on the trek itself you will camp in two-man tents, with dining tents, camp-fires and fabulous views. We highly recommend peacefully sleeping under the incredible star-strewn night skies for at least one night – there’s nothing quite like it!

This trekking challenge is all about endurance fitness rather than speed. Try to train with your day-pack on your back and get used to drinking and carrying water during your training. Stick to the provided training plan. This trek is achievable for most people provided they train well in advance.

You need to be over the age of 18 to play the Heroes Lottery.

If you would like to opt-out of receiving Lottery communications from us please contact our team on  0300 303 9888 or email us at fundraise@helpforheroes.org.uk.