Support for UK's veterans slumps as cost-of-living crisis bites

Charity Help for Heroes has seen donations plunge because of the cost-of-living crisis – just as its veterans need it most. The charity says thousands of veterans are struggling with painful injuries and mental trauma without the support they need.

Writing for the Sunday Express, chief executive James Needham said pressures on the NHS and increased bills and energy prices had also led to a rise in demand for help.

He said: “Whilst demand for our services is rising fast, our income is falling. Since British forces withdrew from Afghanistan our income has dropped by 56 percent.

“Yes, conflicts have ended, but the battles some of our brave service men and women face do not – they simply stop making headlines, and stop being seen.”

The charity is this week launching its “Veterans’ War” campaign to highlight the need for funds. Help for Heroes was founded in 2007 by the late cartoonist Bryn Parry, who died earlier this month, and his wife Emma. At the time, UK forces were involved in high-profile conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But the charity says donations have plummeted while demand has risen because many veterans develop problems years after returning to civilian life.

In the 2014-15 financial year, when British troops left Afghanistan, the charity’s total income was £41million but by the most recent financial year it had fallen to £18.5million.

The number of people approaching the charity for help has more than doubled in just one year, with 259 grants issued between October 2022 and March.

Those receiving support include Brian Brown, 55, who was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) a decade after quitting the Army.

He said: “Ten years after leaving the military I visited the doctor.

“He told me I was a functioning alcoholic and that I had advanced cirrhosis of the liver. I needed immediate help to save my life. He also told me that I had PTSD.” Mr Brown served in the first Gulf War and in Northern Ireland and attended the Lockerbie air disaster in Scotland.

He had also been stationed in Belize and Canada with the First Battalion, the Royal Highland Fusiliers.

He was medically discharged after 13 years in the Army when he suffered injuries in a bomb blast.

“Out of the Army, no one understood. I didn’t have the support of the guys in my unit to perk me up.

“I wanted to stay strong for my boys, who were only small. At Christmas, I’d put on a brave face and watch them open their presents.

“But I didn’t want to be there. It was breaking my heart.”

He is now being supported by the charity’s clinical medical team.

“Walking into a room filled with other people who had a shared experience was incredible.

“It finally made me feel understood and less alone,” he said.

“Since then, I’ve had a lot of help from the charity’s clinical medical team, who understand the support I need and can help me access it.

“I’ve also taken part in activity days, which helped me feel less isolated.”