February 2021 marked the 30^th Anniversary since the end of the first Gulf War and Royal Navy Veteran and Help for Heroes Ambassador, Nick Richardson was proud to wear one of our new commemorative T-Shirt designs, the HMS Gloucester.

Nick completed 23 years of service before being medically discharged. Nick reached out to Help for Heroes in 2012 at a time when he was quite unwell. ’’I had served in the Royal Navy for over 20 years prior to this time and was very unsure as to what the future might hold’’.

‘’Since reaching out to the charity I have been able to access practical support in terms of grant funding to help adapt my home.  In addition to this my wife and family have been able to access the various activities and offers available to them and while I do not currently need to reach out for any support, I continue to be a supporter’’.

Nick is an Ambassador for Help for Heroes and is proud to share his story and help others like him. ‘’It allows me to contribute and give something back in support of the charity.  It helps me say “thank you” to all those who have contributed, in whatever way, and show my gratitude to all Help for Heroes supporters.  It is especially important as the country comes to terms with other issues and when military personnel continue to serve both at home and abroad – the need for charities such as Help for Heroes will never go away."

Nick was keen to be involved in helping with the design knowledge for the T-Shirt graphic, working alongside our Trading design manager, Charlotte. ‘’Having served in Type 42 Destroyers, it seemed like a good idea to be able to help get the look of the ship “correct” – The Type 42 had a very distinctive profile and getting the proportions right are not easy. I didn’t want the ship to look wrong – the closer it looked to the real thing the better! I hope that our supporters will want to wear the new range of T-Shirts’’.

‘’I would not have been able to successfully transition into civilian life. Help for Heroes provided support at a time when I was particularly unwell and helped me see through the myriad of issues that I needed to deal with and move forward with my new life”.

‘’Please keep supporting the great work that is done by the charity and its partner organisations.  Military Veterans do not always advocate for themselves and many have ongoing complex needs attributed to wounds illness or injury sustained in the service of their country.  Please help them move forward and allow them to live fulfilling lives’’.