"I'm a Royal Navy veteran and the support from Help for Heroes has been a whirlwind and an absolute godsend"
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An armed forces charity will be launching a national campaign to support military veterans this week - with former one sailor sharing the organisation had his back during a medical incident.
Help for Heroes will be pitching showcasing its People’s Promise to Veterans initiative at Gunwharf Quays on August 21-23, Starting in Portsmouth, the scheme will spread the word across the country.
The charity is calling for better healthcare, financial security, consistent access to support, and a society that fulfils its duty to veterans. Politicians, businesses, and residents, are urged to sign puzzle pieces across the three day event and pledge their support for the organisation. Help for Heroes is hoping for 6,000 people to sign up.
Steve Rule, a 61-year-old Royal Navy veteran, spoke to the charity in January and shared how the organisation has been by his side. The former Weapons Engineer with 33 years of experience, asked for help following a medical incident as a civilian.
The Fareham resident fell and hit his neck on a tree root, damaging his top two vertebrae and impacting his spinal cord. Following two operations in 2024 and still dealing with constant pain, medical professionals said everything was fine. “Effectively, they discharged me with nothing – no physio, anything,” Mr Rule said.
“I tried a couple of other charities but got nowhere, until my wife saw something on Facebook and contacted Help for Heroes. Within a week I was contacted by the Charity’s mental health, clinical and occupational therapy teams, and, thanks to their support, Salisbury Hospital then got in touch about doing rehab there. In the space of six weeks, I’d had more done than in the previous 18 months.”
Help for Heroes provides physical and mental health aid for former military personnel and their families. The aim is for those who were brave enough to serve our country not to be left on their own.
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Mr Rule added: “Help for Heroes has been an absolute godsend, for both my mental and physical health. It’s all been a bit of a whirlwind; a good whirlwind. It’s made a massive difference to me. My wife’s seen a change in me: more cheerful, more optimistic, and I’m able to do more stuff now. I now have a cross-trainer and a cycling machine in the house, as I’m able to use them – which I couldn’t before.
“Everything happened from the moment my wife contacted Help for Heroes. Veterans clinical advisor Julie Wadham got in touch with people for me and that set the ball rolling. Almost daily I was receiving phone calls from somebody at Help for Heroes saying can we help you. It’s been brilliant.”
More than 34,000 veterans live in the Portsmouth area - 9,728 in the city itself, 8,942 in Fareham, 8,422 in Gosport, and 7,431 in Havant. Further details of the campaign can be found on the Help for Heroes website, or at Gunwharf Quays, later this week.