How to support a hero

There are many ways to support our military heroes abroad. 

Life can sometimes be relatively lonely for soldiers who are deployed overseas.

However, there is much that you can do as a member of the public to support those who are currently serving in the army.

We list some of the main ways below

Send letters of support

Nothing helps to boost the morale of our military heroes more than receiving letters of support from kind-hearted strangers who recognise the important contribution that they make.

It is fairly easy to get started, and while it may be a fairly small gesture on your part, it will mean the world to those who receive those letters.

Writing to a military hero can also result in a long-term friendship (and sometimes even more) and much cherished connections.

Support military charities

Charities such as Combat Stress, Help for Heroes and SAAFA all provide valuable help for soldiers such as counselling, rehabilitation, medical care, companionship and financial support.

Even a relatively small donation each month will go a long way towards helping these organisations to continue some of the vital work they do in order to help our troops.

Send packages/parcels to a member of the military

Another way you can help military veterans is to send parcels of food, clothing, toiletries and other goods. In some places, soldiers do not have access to any luxuries and are living on the bare minimum.

Therefore, any package or donation that you can send directly to a named soldier will go a long way to boosting morale and making their lives much easier.

However, the best way to send these packages is to do so via the Deployed Welfare Package scheme launched by the Ministry of Defence.

This includes a free mail service for families and friends, 30 minutes of telephone calls a week and internet access.

Sending unsolicited mail can result in delays or present risks to those serving, so instead, it is better to use the established schemes mentioned above, particularly during busy periods such as Christmas.

MOD Operations Welfare Fund 

The Operations Welfare Fund was set up by the Ministry of Defence. It allows  commanders in theatre to use the funds to prioritise items which are most likely to boost the morale of their soldiers.

These may include items such as Wii handsets, portable DVD players, games and table tennis tables.

uk4uThanks!

A good way to get Christmas treats and practical gifts to soldiers is to donate to uk4uThanks!

This organisation delivers gifts and goods to military heroes and can significantly help to boost morale during the holiday periods.

Although the charity benefits from corporate sponsorship, it also needs donations from the public to continue its work.

Employ a soldier!

If you are an employer or manager, then one of the major ways you can support an ex-military veteran is to employ them or enrol them on apprenticeships.

Those who have served in the military often struggle to find employment when they return to the UK.

Therefore one way that you can take a proactive role in assisting these individuals, is to make it easier for them to find work and offer training and job opportunities.