Help For Heroes Joins BFBS Big Salute

The BFBS Big Salute has added a sixth Forces charity to its roll-call of beneficiaries - Help For Heroes.

Launched in May 2008, The BFBS Big Salute raised over £116,000 in its first year which was shared between five charities: St Dunstan's, Combat Stress, Headley Court, Veterans Aid and Blesma. And now, as the 2009 campaign gets underway, the Hero Recovery Centres project joins their ranks.

"The Big Salute is all about respect, pride and supporting our own Forces community," says Helen Williams, Controller of BFBS TV, "and the Hero Recovery Centres project fits perfectly with our five existing charities who all care for those who have been injured or carry less visible scars as a result of their service.

"In our first year, we raised over £100,000 from a standing start, just from our Forces audience overseas. Now that we can reach the much larger UK audience of Forces, family and friends through our national DAB radio platform, we hope to raise even more this year. And the Recovery Centres are just the sort of project we know our audience will support whole-heartedly."

Help For Heroes hopes to raise funds to build up to seven centres nationwide in the major garrison locations where soldiers can convalesce, get back to fitness, and have support services on site such as counselling, career management, and resettlement help. The aim is to provide top-class personal second-line welfare support to both regular soldiers and mobilised reserves, according to their individual need.

Bryn Parry, co-founder of Help For Heroes, said: "We are delighted that BFBS have included us in their Big Salute campaign. We share the same passion to do all we can for our wounded servicemen and women. BFBS is the perfect partner for Help For Heroes."

And you can donate online here

For more details on the H4H Hero Recovery Centres project,

visit http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/erskine.html