Help for Heroes rallies Lincoln to back the nation’s veterans
People from across Lincoln are being asked to respond to a call from Help for Heroes to show the strength of public support for men and women who have served their country.
The Armed Forces charity is bringing its national campaign ‘People’s Promise to Veterans’ to Waterside Shopping Centre on 29 and 30 August, to ask the great British public to show they value the contribution of the men and women who protect us.
Members of the public, partners and local politicians will be asked to sign one of the puzzle pieces, which make up the Peace by Piece exhibition stand, to show they are committed to being part of the solution to ensure that veterans get the support they deserve after service.
David Morris, age 45, lives in Sleaford and served for 22 years in the RAF. He was diagnosed with severe post-traumatic stress disorder following an incident, in 2011, while serving as a survival equipment specialist with the Red Arrows. David has had support from the Help for Heroes mental health team and has taken part in sports and social activities. He was the vice-captain of Team UK for the delayed 2020 Invictus Games, which took place at The Hague in 2022 and is now an active local campaigner for veterans. He said: “Back in 2007, it was the great British public who got behind a campaign to support the wounded, injured and sick men and women who were returning from Afghanistan and Iraq.
“We now need to build a united movement of veterans, our families, and our allies to fight for a future where every person who serves our country knows they’ll be backed, not abandoned, when their service ends.
“That’s why we’re coming to Lincoln, which has one of the biggest veteran communities in the country, to again ask local people to show they value our veterans – and to send a clear message to those in power that they need to make lasting changes to how we support the men and women who protect us.”
The Charity is calling for four key improvements: better healthcare, financial security, consistent access to support, and a society that fulfils its duty to veterans. It is aiming to get 2,000 people from Lincoln to sign up over the two-day event.
David added: “With the push to expand our armed forces because of an increasingly unstable global picture, if we don’t get this right now, we’re sleepwalking towards a crisis.
“Charities like ours, as well as other public services, will be under increasing strain to try to fill the gaps. Across Lincolnshire alone we’ve seen a 42 per cent increase in the number of people getting in touch for support, in the 10 months since October, compared to the same period in the previous year.
“If we don’t get this right now, how on earth will we be able to recruit the service men and women we need to protect us?”
For more information about the People’s Promise to Veterans go to https://act.helpforheroes.org.uk