Our Patrons and Ambassadors

Ross Kemp

Ross Kemp is an actor, author and BAFTA-winning documentary maker. He rose to prominence in the role of Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders. 

Since 2006, Kemp has received international recognition for his investigative documentaries, specialising in the area of gang culture. He has also been on the front line with British Troops in Afghanistan on several occasions.

Antony Cotton MBE

The Coronation Street star has been a proud Ambassador for the charity for many years and spends much of his spare time campaigning to improve the lives of both serving personnel and Veterans alike.

Antony first became involved with Help For Heroes when one of his friends returned home after serving abroad, in need of support.

“It is a privilege and an honour to be a Patron of Help For Heroes, and I promise that I will do all I can to help.”

Lorraine Kelly CBE

Lorraine Kelly is a TV presenter and journalist, and a keen supporter of Help for Heroes Band of Sisters. She takes a personal interest in their stories and is the face of Bake for Heroes.

"I am honoured to be a Patron of Help for Heroes and to be involved in the incredible work they do. It is so important that we all get the chance to say thank you to our Armed Forces and for them to know how grateful we are for their service and sacrifices."

Gareth Southgate OBE

Gareth Southgate OBE is manager of the England football team and formerly played as defender and midfielder for several English teams.

Southgate has spoken of his close ties and affinity with the Armed Forces following his Grandfather’s service in the Second World War which has formed his sense of identity and values.

He said: “My sense of identity and values are closely tied to my family and particularly my granddad. He was a fierce patriot and a proud military man, who served during World War II. Because of him, I’ve always had an affinity for the military and service in the name of your country. I’m looking forward to working closely with Help for Heroes to support veterans and raise awareness of the great work they do to promote veterans living well after service.”

Jane Moore

Jane is a well-renowned journalist, author and television presenter who has supported Help for Heroes since its early days. A regular on Loose Women and columnist for The Sun, she is a vocal advocate for better awareness of Veterans’ mental and physical health issues. Jane has been a key part of Help for Heroes’ development, supporting many of our campaigns, taking part in fundraising events and visiting our Recovery Centres.

“I have been involved with Help for Heroes for a long time and it’s an honour to be a Patron for such a worthwhile cause that needs our ongoing support.”

Peta and Mark Cavendish MBE

The professional cycling star, and Olympic silver medalist, Mark, and his wife Peta have long been key supporters of Help for Heroes and have thrown themselves into many fundraising events and awareness raising activities for us.  Amongst Mark’s many outstanding cycling achievements, he has won thirty-four Tour de France stages.  

Mark equalled Eddy Merckx's record on the 2021 Tour. Peta was one of our most famous page 3 models and is now a busy writer, mother and professional cycling fan.

Ken Hames

Ken served in the British Army for 25 years. He started as a tank driver but after being selected for Sandhurst he spent most of his career as an officer with the Queens Regiment and the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment and eventually became an SAS Troop and Squadron Commander where as he puts it 'he got sent away to some very unsafe places and couldn't tell anybody anything about it'! 

Ken's experiences in the Army led him to other careers in television, public speaking and leadership training.

General the Lord Dannatt GCB CBE MC DL, President

General the Lord Dannatt was commissioned into The Green Howards in 1971 and served in Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Germany and Bosnia. He took command of 3rd (United Kingdom) Division in January 1999 and served in Kosovo that year as Commander British Forces and later as the Deputy Commander Operations of the Stabilisation Force.

In March 2005 he took over as Commander-in-Chief Land Command and assumed the appointment of Chief of the General Staff in August 2006. He retired from the Army in August 2009 to become Constable of The Tower of London until 2016, was appointed to the House of Lords in 2010 and sits on the Crossbenches. 

He has been hugely involved in Help for Heroes from the start, both as a Trustee and as the first President of the Charity.

Andy McNab

From the day he was found in a carrier bag on the steps of Guy's Hospital, Andy McNab has lived an extraordinary life. As a teenage delinquent, he kicked against society. As a young soldier he waged war against the IRA in the streets and fields of South Armagh. As a member of 22 SAS he was at the centre of covert operations for nine years – on five continents. 

Awarded both the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) and Military Medal (MM) during his military career, McNab was the British Army's most highly decorated serving soldier when he finally left the SAS. Since then he has become one of the world’s bestselling writers, drawing on his insider knowledge and experience.

Lucy Wyndham-Read

Army Veteran Lucy Wyndham-Read, has been involved in the Health & Fitness industry for over 25 years, and now in her late-forties, she has a wealth of experience in what works and how to get results. She has helped millions of people worldwide with her workouts.

At the age of 19, Lucy decided that despite her ‘girly image’, the fact that she had been bullied at school and that the thought of doing any sport terrified her, she wanted to take on what was for her the ultimate challenge of joining the Army. It was during her five years of serving that she learnt some of the highly effective skills which she has used to her advantage today. In particular, she learned about fitness, motivation, utter determination, and how to never give up.

"As a former soldier, it is such an honour for me to announce that I am officially a Patron for Help for Heroes! I am thrilled to be part of the team and have already met some incredible veterans. I can’t wait for what's to come!"

JJ Chalmers

JJ Chalmers joined the Royal Marines Reserve in 2005 while at university, transferring to regular service in 2010.

A year later, he was serving in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, when he suffered life-changing injuries from an IED blast. JJ lost two fingers and suffered facial and leg injuries in the incident, and his right elbow was badly damaged. 

JJ is a keen supporter of Help for Heroes and can be seen on most things Invictus Games and C4 Paralympics.  JJ also appeared in the 2020 edition of Strictly Come Dancing and made it to the Quarter Finals.

In 2021 JJ hosted the Channel 4 coverage of the Tokyo 21 Paralympics. 

David Richmond CBE

David has been heavily involved in Help for Heroes. As a past Recovery Director, David was responsible for all four Help for Heroes Recovery Centres in Tidworth, Catterick, Colchester and Plymouth. 

He also established and looked after the recovery programmes and support that we offer, from fellowship to sport, health and physical wellbeing and psychological wellbeing and grant-making to individuals and organisations.

Johnson Beharry VC

Johnson Beharry VC of the Princess of Wales’ Royal Regiment is a British soldier who, on 18 March 2005, was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest military decoration for valour in the British and Commonwealth armed forces, for twice saving members of his unit from ambushes on 1 May and 11 June 2004 at Al-Amarah, Iraq. He sustained serious head injuries in the latter engagement.

Major Peter Norton GC

Major Peter Norton deployed to Baghdad in 2005 and at the end of July was very seriously injured by an IED; in March 2006 he was awarded the George Cross for his actions during the incident. Following 11 months of hospitalisation and 14 months of rehabilitation, he retrained as a specialist in disarming explosive devices and taught at the Defence Academy’s College of Management and Technology until 2013, until retiring on medical grounds. 

In addition to his role as an ambassador of Help for Heroes and a supporter and fund-raiser for SSAFA, ABF, BLESMA and The Felix Fund, Pete has rediscovered his love of photography plus new pastimes and interests such as downhill sit-skiing and hand-biking.

Mark Sutcliffe MBE

Mark served in the 2nd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment 'the poachers' during his service he has deployed to Northern Ireland, Afghanistan and Iraq. During his tour of Basra July 2006 after being ambushed and hit by an RPG his left leg was blown off. 

After a short recovery he took up the post of a Military Liaison Officer for a period of four years at the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine looking after the needs of other injured servicepersons and their families. Mark was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday honours list 2012.

Andy Newell

Andy served in the Parachute Regiment for over 25 years reaching the rank of Warrant Officer Class 2 (WO2). He has been on many operational deployments around the world including Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Iraq and Afghanistan. In July 2006 in Afghanistan his right arm was totally shattered during the bitter and prolonged fighting at Musa Qaleh in Helmand province. 

Since then he has undergone extensive and multiple surgeries to repair his arm. He is an ardent supporter of Help for Heroes, taking part in bike rides, running the London marathon and raising awareness in his role as an ambassador.

Andy Stockton

Andy Stockton served with 32 Regiment Royal Artillery for 19 and a half years reaching the rank of Warrant Officer Class 2. He served three tours of Northern Ireland, three tours in Iraq and lost his arm during an ambush by the Taliban in Sangin, Helmand Province, Afghanistan on 11th June 2006. 

He is a strong advocate of the support that Help for Heroes provides wounded personnel and veterans and is proud to support the charity in his role as an Ambassador.

Amy Dowden

Strictly Come Dancing professional, Amy Dowden, was keen to get involved with the Charity following her dance partnership with former Royal Marine and Help for Heroes Patron, JJ Chalmers, in the 2020 series of the show.

Amy, who lives with Crohn’s, sees many parallels between her own hidden disability and the struggles many of our veterans face.

“Every day I wake up with fatigue, pain, exhaustion, and I never know what the day ahead is going to be like. This is the same for so many who have had to leave the military due to injury or illness. You don’t magically get better – it’s an ongoing struggle.”

The professional dancer said “I’m extremely proud, grateful, honoured and thankful to become an Ambassador for Help for Heroes. With JJ, from the word go, he made it clear what the Charity has done for him, and continues to do. Through the entire Strictly journey with him, I could see the support that everyone connected to the Charity gave him. I’m really excited to help publicise Help for Heroes and the amazing work they do”.

Amy is also a proud Ambassador for Crohn’s and Colitis UK which does incredible work supporting sufferers and their families, while also carrying out research. Like Help for Heroes, it is also one big family community.