Phil Packer

Published: The Sun 08/03/10

Posted by: Michelle Nielsen

Help for Heroes raised £40 million

Posted by: Michelle Nielsen

The Mail on Sunday

Posted by: Michelle Nielsen

Help for Heroes Drink Reception 04/12/09

On Friday 4th Decemeber we were invited to join a private drink reception to celebrate the opening of "The Hero Inside" photography exhibition and to promote the book in Nottingham Council House on the market square.

The event was from 6pm-8pm, and allowed some of Help for Heroes higher donaters to view the exhibition, to purchase the photography or the book if they wish to. This event was great for us as we were able to meet and speak about our event to the photographer herself Gill Brown, Help for Heroes regional manager and the Mayor of Nottingham.

Key Quotes:

"98 pence from every pound donated goes directly to the charity, only 2 pence is spent on admin costs"

"The wounded soldiers are the celebrities"

"On average £45 000 is donated to Help for Heroes every day"

Posted by: Michelle Nielsen

Help For Heroes Leaflet

This leaflet helps answer any question and querries potential consumers might have about the charity, it is important that when we sell tickets, ask for sponsors and at our event we have these leaflets available.

Posted by: Michelle Nielsen

GuideStar UK

GuideStar allows you to log on and see how charities are managed and provides valuable information about charities.

http://www.guidestar.org.uk

Posted by: Michelle Nielsen

Top 10 Non Profit Thought Leaders 09

The Sunday Telegraph 22nd Nov 09

Posted by: Michelle Nielsen

Lasting Tribute

I found this site which documents local Help for Heroes events across the country. I think it would be really good if we keep checking this to see what sort of events are being carried out to raise money.

http://lt-helpforheroes.co.uk/

Posted By: Lottie Mather

Help for Heroes Christmas Cards

http://www.charitychristmascards.com/helpforheroes

Posted By: Lottie Mather

Boots for Troops logo ideas

Great idea for the style of Boots for Troops!! And everytime we get a pair of boots donated or sponsoring the campaign we can hang a Help for Heroes medal on them.

Posted by: Michelle Nielsen

Help for Heroes - How we spend your money

http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/?gclid=CKqPzOHKip4CFUtp4wodZ3dQqg

Posted by: Michelle Nielsen

My Hero Oz saved lives, says his wife

(wearing Help for Heroes wristband)

Metro Friday 6th November 09

Posted by: Michelle Nielsen

The Soldiers

By CARL STROUD
Published: The Sun, Wednesday 09 September 2009

FED up with pop charts full of weedy boy bands? Well, here's a trio of REAL men aiming for No1.
All three are serving soldiers who have witnessed the horrors of war first-hand, from Afghanistan to the Gulf.

And now Trooper Ryan Idzi, Sergeant Major Gary Chilton and Sergeant Richie Maddocks - who are known simply as The Soldiers - have signed a recording deal with Warner Records.
There are high hopes for the threesome's debut album, which is out on October 26.

But that could all change at the drop of a hat if they find themselves on the front line once again.
Gary explained: "We are serving soldiers. We have to fit this career around our Army commitments."

And Ryan added: "We can get called to a war zone at any time. I'm due another tour in the next two or three years." Already their experience of the harsh reality of life in the battlefield has served as an inspiration for the stirring songs they sing.

Two years ago Ryan faced tragedy while he was on patrol in Iraq and just moments away from his head-quarters in Basra. He recalled: "We were on our way back to base and only had about 800 metres to go when a roadside bomb went off. "I wasn't hurt. All I got was a face full of dust and mud. I was blown back inside the wagon, but my two friends were killed.

"The freaky thing was, we took a picture of the troop before we went out and the two people who died were stood next to each other on their own. That's what freaked me out the most.
"Two other guys in the front of the vehicle were also really badly injured. One had to leave the Army because he was so badly hurt."

The loss of his friends affected Ryan greatly, but it was the camaraderie of his corps, the 20th Armoured Brigade, that taught him to deal with his grief. He said: "It's very traumatic at first when somebody dies, but people help you get through it. It was a horrible feeling but I had people round me all the time. "They teach you how to cope with the loss."

And it is this sense of how important camaraderie is to our Armed Forces that looms large on the lads' debut disc. On it, the trio give soaring renditions of such classics as The Beatles' With A Little Help From My Friends, Ben E King's Stand By Me and The Hollies' He Ain't Heavy.
Richie, who is serving as drum major with the Minden Band of The Queens Division, near Cambridge, said: "The entire album is about comradeship.

"We want the public to buy this, but first and foremost it is songs for soldiers and songs that soldiers will relate to." Crucially, a portion of profits will go to charities the Army Benevolent Fund, The Royal British Legion and Help For Heroes.

Gary, who is with the Army's Heavy Cavalry And Cambrai Band in Catterick, North Yorks, explained: "The charity aspect is incredibly important to this project. "We've all had, and still have, relatives in the Armed Forces, from the First World War onwards. "Ryan's dad was in the forces and his brothers are as well. I think it's important we give something back. "At the end of the day we wouldn't be sat here now without all the people who have gone before us."

If something seems familiar about 24-year-old Caerphilly lad Ryan, who is currently stationed in Germany, it is probably because he was the squaddie who made it through to the boot camp stages of The X Factor three years ago.

He said: "I still get approached in the streets now, especially in Cardiff. I got kicked out of the show but to be honest I'm glad I didn't go any further than I did. I would never have had the chance to sing with these lads if not. "It was all too much for me the first time round. I didn't like the attention at all." But it was Ryan's exposure on the prime-time ITV1 show that landed him a place in The Soldiers. Pop manager Jeff Chegwin had seen his performance and was struck by his abilities. And Jeff remembered the youngster when he started putting the band together a couple of years later.

Ryan, whose favourite act is Sex On Fire rockers Kings Of Leon, recalled: "My phone rang and I thought it was one of my mates screwing around. I ignored the call, but a couple of days later I went back through my phone and when nobody was around I gave the number a ring. It was Gary."

Jeff had already approached 41-year-old Gary, who was born in Andover, Hants, and Mancunian Richie, 37, after the pair had become pals on the Army music circuit.
The trio make their live debut at the Festival Of Remembrance at The Royal Albert Hall in November.

Ryan admitted he is not looking forward to it. He said: "I'm bricking it. I'm a naturally nervous person. "I'd rather be out on an Afghan tour than on stage. At least I know I can do the job out there."

But married dad-of-two Gary is sure everything will be all right on the night. He said: "We're getting some vocal coaching and we've got a few sessions coming up over the next couple of weeks, so we should be fine."

Head over to The Sun's website now to get a taster track from the trio's debut album, Coming Home. A tender ballad of the same name features on the album and is all about troops proudly returning to the UK after serving overseas. And the lads reckon it is the support of the public that makes all their hard work worthwhile,

Richie, who is married, said: "As much as I'm proud to be doing this band, there's nothing I'm more proud of than going on parade through British towns with all the British public cheering my regiment."

Ryan added: "When you've got thousands of people lining the streets, clapping, crying and supporting the work we do, it makes every sacrifice bearable. That support means you are not alone when you're in Iraq or Afghanistan."

Gary agreed, saying proudly: "The recent support we've been getting from the public is like nothing I've ever experienced. It swells you. It makes you grow."

Posted by: Michelle Nielsen

New mission statement

"It’s about the blokes, our men and women of the Armed Forces. It’s about Derek, a rugby player who has lost both his legs, it’s about Carl whose jaw is wired up so he has been drinking through a straw. It’s about Richard who was handed a mobile phone as he lay on the stretcher so he could say goodbye to his wife. It’s about Ben, it’s about Steven and Andy and Mark, it’s about them all. They are just blokes but they are our blokes; they are our heroes. We want to help our heroes."

www.helpforheroes.org.uk

Posted by: Grace

Celebrity followers

Celebrity supporters

Help for Heroes has received support from the following celebrities:

• Andy McNab
• David Beckham
• James Blunt
• Jeremy Clarkson
• • Martin Johnson
  • Michael Caine
  • Prince Harry
  • Prince William
  • Sharon Osbourne
  • Simon Cowell
  • According to http://www.looktothestars.org/charity/984-help-for-heroes
  • 
    
  • Posted by: Grace

Northwich air cadets scale Scafell Pike to support Help for Heroes charity Aug 24 2009 By Dave Goodban

AIR cadets from the 146 Northwich squadron have raised more than £2,000 for forces charity injured service me and women during two recent expeditions.

A group of 20 youngsters walked the Whitegate Way in July to raise money for St Dunstan’s Charity for blind and visually impaired ex-officers, raising more than £600.

And another group of 22 cadets and staff scaled the 978m Scafell Pike in the Lake District, the highest peak in England.

Together the intrepid crew collected more than £1,500 in sponsorship for Help for Heroes, which aims to provide better facilities to people injured in the forces.

I found this article in the Mid-Cheshire Chronicle. This is the kind of press we need to aim for in media such as local newspapers.

Posted By: Lottie

Just giving

We are now registered on justgiving.com to enable sponsors and the general public to make donations for both the charity and the event. Please take a look at our just giving page and dig deep!

http://www.justgiving.com/helpforheroescharityevent/

Posted by: Grace

Following up from the earlier wristband post:

On this website, you can custom order your own wrist bands in a massive range of colours and create your own mould for the band:

http://www.adband.co.uk/silicon_wristbands.htm

Posted by: Michelle

Price Points

Each person who buys a ticket to the fashion show could also have to have a Help For Heroes charity band, or they could be included as part of the ticket price.

Posted By: Lottie

Chefs for heroes

An Army marches on its stomach they say, so it's entirely appropriate that on the 2nd October London's top chefs will be cooking up a five course feast at London's Guildhall to raise money for troops wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Chefs for Heroes gala dinner is being spearheaded by The Lanesborough's chef de cuisine, Paul Gayler, and dished up by an army of chefs from the UK's top restaurants including Andrew Bennett (Sheraton Park Lane), Gary Klaner (Landmark Hotel), Martyn Nail (Claridge's), Paul Bates (Intercontinental, Hyde Park Corner), Simon Young (The Jumeirah Carlton Tower, Knightsbridge) and Matthew Marshall (Chamberlain's Events). Having cooked for Royalty and pop icons such as Madonna, Mariah Carey and the late Michael Jackson, Paul's team will be serving up the most sumptuous menu using only the finest and freshest ingredients to London's glitterati in a bid to raise £300,000 for Help for Heroes, a charity Paul felt compelled to help after his son Lee was shot in the leg whilst serving with the Territorial Army in Afghanistan. Tickets cost from £500 and can be booked at www.chefsforheroes.org

Chefs for Heroes Paul Gayler Anton Mosiman Brian Turner Ainsley Harriott Simon Young Andrew Bennett Heston Blumenthal Cyrus Todiwala Matthew Marshall Gary Klaner Would any of these chefs be willing to partake in our event and provide a buffet? One of the things I noticed was the price of the ticket!! If we can make our event half as successful as this one, we can really make some money for such a worthy cause! http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/chefs_for_heroes.html 12/08/09 Posted by: Grace