Remembrance Day 2022: Crawley MP celebrates the 15th anniversary of ‘Help for Heroes’ charity and plants wooden cross in Parliament for the town’s fallen

Every day, men and women have to leave their careers in the armed forces as a result of physical or psychological wounds; their lives changed forever.

Since being founded in 2007, Help for Heroes has enabled wounded veterans to live secure and healthy lives with purpose.

Help for Heroes gives people the strength to recover, by providing physical, psychological, financial and welfare support.

At the reception, Henry Smith MP discussed with the charity the importance of further support for the mental health of veterans, as well as the need for further measures to support the rehabilitation of veterans.

Mr Smith said: “I welcome the work that Help for Heroes has done over the last 15 years to make veterans’ lives better in the UK.

“I’d encourage any veterans in Crawley who need support to reach out to Help for Heroes.”

Speaking at the reception, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Help for Heroes James Needham said: “When we began our mission in 2007, large numbers of people had returned from conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, so veterans and their families’ needs were at the forefront of the public’s minds. Whilst the needs of our ex-service men and women have not diminished, these needs are perhaps less prevalent in people’s minds.

“We continue to support veterans across the UK to provide them the support to live the best quality of life possible.”

In the week leading to Armistice Day, Mr Smith planted a wooden cross dedicated to the sacrifices made by members of the Armed Forces from Crawley, in the constituency garden of remembrance in Parliament.

Mr Smith said: “It was an honour to be able to plant a wooden cross in the constituency garden of remembrance in memory of those members of our armed forces from Crawley and the sacrifices they gave for our way of life.

See more: Remembrance Day 2022: Crawley historian recounts the town’s 'saddest stories of the Great War', ‘Stories from the Memorial Park gates’- Crawley resident shares stories that highlight the town’s memories of war, Crawley food business wins big at the annual ‘The Christmas Free From Awards’

To learn more about Help for Heroes, please visit: https://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/