Our Charities
Help for Heroes
HELP for HEROES was set up in the Autumn of 2007 and in its first 12 months raised over £12 million. The initial aim was to raise enough money to build a new Hydrotherapy Unit at Headley Court and £8 million has been used to fund this project which should be completed in late 2009. H4H has also made a grant of £3.5 million to Combat Stress which is being used to pay for the much needed expansion, modernisation and reorganisation of their special treatment centre at Tyrwhitt House in Surrey. £500,000 was granted to complete the SSAFA Forces Help ‘Homes from Home’ appeal to provide relative’s houses at Headley Court and Selly Oak.
H4H also supports Hero Grab Bags by working with Troop Aid who supply goodies to the hospital at Selly Oak to make the wounded patient’s life better. This is a fairly simple idea with the bag containing all the ‘nice to haves’ like a t shirt, underwear, socks, washing and shaving kit, or the female equivalent, as well as other items like writing paper, telephone card and memory stick. It also has a letter form a school child wishing the patient a swift recovery. The bags make a real difference to the morale and comfort of the patients. At Headley Court a new Adaptive Adventure Training Team called Battle Back has been set up to ensure that the wounded get a chance to ‘feel the wind in the face and the sun on the back’, H4H are working closely with Battle Back and provide funds as and when they are needed.
US Injured Semper Fi Fund
The Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund was established in May 2004. The charity was started by a nurse at the Camp Pendleton Naval Hospital who brought together a group of Marine spouses to implement a plan to provide financial grants to injured Marines. Since then the Fund has developed into a nationwide programme. Since its inception IMSFF has given out approximately 21,000 grants totalling over $42 million.
The Fund works closely with the Marine Corps, Navy and military hospitals to identify and assess the needs of specific families recognising that when a member of the forces is injured the entire family shares their pain. Normal life can be put on hold for weeks, sometimes months and it can take several years for the family member to recover. IMSFF is there to help at this time and in 5 years it has supported over 3000 service members and their families.
Like H4H it depends on the generosity and compassion of people from all walks of life.
The Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund
Our challenge is to raise £6 Million by the 350th anniversary of the Royal Marines in 2014 so that we can better support the:
Recovery Pathway, which involves us helping the wounded and injured in any way we can, particularly as the most severely injured begin their transition into civilian life; quite simply, the RMCTF will help when others cannot. Decompression/Quality of Life Pathway, where we help those still serving and facing successive tours in high threat environments - providing adventure training for those returning from operations, funding homecoming events, financing memorials and maintaining our heritage Through Life Pathway, because life doesn’t end after your time in the corps, so in this programme we continue the same level of support and care once they break their formal links to the Corps.
In 2010, the focus of their effort is to equip Recovery Troops in the main units of 3 Commando Brigade to ease and expedite the recovery of the wounded and injured. Trustees are already earmarking money to support 40 Commando who will be in Helmand this summer and making plans to support the remainder of 3 Commando Brigade who will be deployed there in 2011.