Dear H4H supporter,

Last Month we held our first Annual Review, our opportunity to tell everyone how we have performed since we began to fund raise to support the wounded in October 2007. The review was a great success and we have had some terrific feedback from those who attended. Unfortunately for us, we were bumped off the 6 o’clock news by a story about Michael Jackson announcing his UK tour, so I thought you might like to hear some of the highlights. The Annual Report and the Annual Review for 2007/8 are downloadable from our website and make great bedtime reading if you get the chance. Read our Review

During the first financial year, we had total income resources of £14.6m. The funds came from across the board, from a week’s pocket money to the £1.5m raised by the auction of 9 seats with the Red Arrows, then The Rugby, X Factor, 007, the bike ride... All amazing; all equally appreciated. Of that income, we are delighted to report that a staggering 98% is available for grant making and in fact, £12m has already been spent or is allocated and ready to go to support our wounded.

These figures must be virtually unheard of in the charity sector and are achieved by the work of Help for Heroes Trading Co Ltd (H4HT), our merchandising arm run by Emma and her superb team. H4HT sells the products like the bears and ties, the profits from which are gifted across to H4H to help cover our costs. It is hoped that we can improve on these figures in the coming year. Do your bit and buy a bear !

You can read about where the money has gone in detail if you spend some time on the website but I am delighted to report that both the projects at Headley Court and Combat Stress are underway while other projects including Battle Back, the Norton houses and Troop Aid grab bags are already working to improve the lives of our boys and girls. We are working on other projects as well, simple practical projects that have a direct bearing on the welfare of the wounded and again, you can get updates on the website.  Find out more about our projects

We will be showing edited highlights from the Review soon but in the meantime I would like you to know that we were honoured to be able to announce that Ross Kemp has joined us as a Patron and will be a very active ambassador for H4H as he visits the Servicemen and women on the front line. We were also delighted to welcome Kevan Jones MP, the Minister for Veterans, who outlined his plans for a comprehensive Welfare Pathway that we will be playing a very active part in. He was followed by Maj Gen Andrew Gregory, Director General of Army Personnel, who announced the Army’s plans for Recovery Centres around the country. We are delighted to be able to help fund the Pathfinder house and fully intend to support the other centres as the concept is rolled out. Read more about Pathfinder

We have now been up and running for 18 months and in that time we have received £19.3m; over £1 million a month. That comes from you, the H4H Supporter and it is awesome what you are doing; hundreds of thousands of you are doing your bit to support our wounded and it is growing by the day. Far from fading, this is building, gathering strength, each event inspiring another like pebbles being dropped into hundreds of ponds, each causing ripples to spread out and inspire more. Currently we have over 1600 events registered with an anticipated income of around £12m and more are signing on each day. This is inspirational, you are doing it, so keep at it and well done! Read CEO's Report

A very special ‘thank you’ should go out to the County Coordinators, led by Belinda, who are the heroes out in the Counties who voluntarily help coordinate, cajole, enthuse and thank all the wonderful supporters. Next time you get the chance, just say thanks for all the work they are doing... They are certainly doing more than their bit!

So, what’s next? We are putting the foot down hard on the fund raising pedal to raise money for the Recovery Centres. I am asking you to set your sights on raising another £20m in the next 24 months. It won’t be easy but believe me, it is needed and judging by the way this extraordinary appeal is going, it really is possible. Please pat yourselves on the back for a job well done so far and then gear up for the next great push. We want to unite everyone in this country with the very simple message... “Do your bit for the blokes”.

Please spread the word and do your bit in what ever way you can, if you are a journalist, write about it, if you have always fancied a challenge, now’s the time, if doing a challenge is not for you, then sponsor someone.  Just do something, spread the word, raise some money, buy a wristband, show you care; do your bit.

Help for Heroes has become a national movement, a tangible demonstration by ordinary people who want to show that they care. Our ‘blokes’, the men and women of the Armed Forces, take extraordinary risks while they serve our country, if they are injured while doing so they deserve our help. Lets join together and show we are there to support them; lets do our bit.

The last seventeen months have been extraordinary, I am overwhelmed with the way people have picked this up and run with it, I am humbled by so many of the stories and at the same time it has completely restored my faith in the kindness and selflessness of the ordinary decent man, woman and child of this country. Emma and I have just spent a couple of days with the men and women of RAF Lossiemouth and were so impressed by the way they just get on with the job, they laugh at the idea of being heroes.... But frankly that is exactly what they are. I am proud to be able to support them and all the members of the Armed Forces; I am also proud, very proud, of everyone who has taken the time to be a part of Help for Heroes.

Thank you,

Bryn