Hockey for Heroes: Raising £100,000 to support the Armed Forces community

By Joel Forrester, Client Solutions Director

​Having co-founded Hockey for Heroes back in 2011 by our Client Solutions Director, Joel Forrester, this year, they are raising funds to support those who have been injured or lost within the military and ex-military community.

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In 2011, I founded Hockey for Heroes, a community partner of Help for Heroes, alongside a close group of friends who I used to serve with when I was in the British Armed Forces.
Seeing the challenges faced by some of my ex-colleagues adjusting back to non-military life inspired us to establish Hockey for Heroes. Service personnel who suffer injuries while serving can be left feeling with a lack of purpose and a loss of identity.

Our aim was to create an organisation which could use sport as a vehicle to bring back a sense of belonging, purpose and involvement into the lives of our ex-service people. We knew sport could fill that void left behind once a soldier leaves the armed forces, while doing good at the end of the day by raising funds which would go back into supporting the military and ex-military community.

Hockey is at the core of our charity and our values replicate those of the armed forces.
As an inclusive and diverse group, we have an incredible bond where we learn from each other, lean on each other and work together as a team to achieve success in our annual fundraising missions.

Since 2011, Hockey for Heroes have been working with ex-service personnel take on challenges in the UK and overseas to raise money for our community partner, Help for Heroes, every year. It has been an honour to lead more than 75 people through several regional, national and international expeditions, challenges and events over the years.

I look forward to seeing our charity grow and make an impact on many communities.

Our annual fundraiser this year is called Operation Last Post, sponsored by Guidant Global.
Our volunteer sportsmen and women will be playing 54 games of hockey and undergoing 457 kilometres of endurance challenges in nine days to raise £100,000 for Help for Heroes from 26th May to 3rd June.

This challenge is particularly exciting as it will be bigger and bolder than ever before and will test our squad members both physically and mentally. It’s the first time in our history that our male and female squads will come together for a tour. It will certainly be a special moment to see the whole organisation involved in such an occasion – even the sheer logistical size of this trip is going to be a challenge in itself!

Taking on 457 kilometres of endurance challenges holds a special meaning behind it.
The number 457 has been chosen to recognise each of the 457 British service personnel killed during the war in Afghanistan – an acknowledgement of their ultimate sacrifice. Each kilometre we cover will be poignant and allocated to each fallen hero from this conflict in remembrance.

This will be one of the most humbling experiences for our squads and we will be drawing on this emotion to fuel us throughout the nine-day event.

The hardest aspect for me while getting ready for Operation Last Post has been seeing the psychological impact the pandemic made on so many within our organisation.
The solitude and distance experienced had undoubtedly raised some demons for many of our volunteers at Hockey for Heroes as it did worldwide. Now that we’re out of the pandemic, I have been able to truly value my time with our volunteer group and support many into the new world we face.

Out of all the years fundraising for Hockey for Heroes, my favourite moment is standing on top of a Himalayan mountain in 2018.
We were looking out over the range of mountains below us, having completed a Guinness World Record for the highest altitude game of hockey – the sheer vastness of the region we were in took my breath away.

At that point, there were only 50 or 100 people in the world that were higher than we were. The lack of oxygen, the challenges, the distances trekked, and the stunning views made for a very proud moment and an enormous sense of accomplishment.

We have many stars supporting us through this year’s event!
We have had the pleasure of support from:

• Gareth Southgate, England’s Football Manager
• Roby Key, Managing Director of England Men’s Cricket
• Sam Ward, Double Olympic Team GB Hockey player
• Ross Kemp, TV presenter and actor
• Johnny Mercer, MP Veteran Affairs
• Paul Revington, Head Coach at Team GB Hockey
• Zack Wallace, Team GB Hockey Captain

…And so many more to come!

We are incredible grateful to have seen such fantastic support from a wide net of communities.

​We’ve hosted over 100 fundraising events since 2011.
What started as a simple plan to use hockey as a vehicle to raise money for Help for Heroes has grown to see the team take on a myraid of endurance challenges and host various festivals and tournaments.

To date, we’ve worked with more than 200 ex-service personnel and have raise over £420,000. This year, our fundraising target for this challenge is £100,000. ​

Every donation will make a difference.

• £50 can support a veteran struggling with their mental health by providing a one-hour consultation
• £100 can pay for eight veterans to begin their recovery by joining Help for Heroes’ recovery college
• £250 can provide sessions with dedicated Help for Heroes case managers to a veteran in need of financial support
• £10,000 could give a veteran six months’ worth of mental health support
• £25,000 could deliver 750 hours of support and advice from case managers to up to 70 veterans
• £50,000 could enable a Hidden Wounds Counsellor to support up to 40 veterans with their mental health for a year.

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If you are able to donate, do visit Hockey for Heroes' fundraising page here >