H4H information

[CMAC]

very surprised when I saw on the military charity thread that H4H don't support anyone pre 2001. Cant see that on their website though. As someone else posted I also don't know how I feel about that as the work they do is just exceptional and essential.

Military and childrens charities are my main contributions followed by cancer research.

I suppose h4h have a sound reason but it does make me think.

anyone know or have a link to the reasoning?

 

[chris661]

Sectioned off from the main H4H thread.

Fell free to discuss and debate this issue but keep it reasonable please.

 

[c1973]

very surprised when I saw on the military charity thread that H4H don't support anyone pre 2001. Cant see that on their website though. As someone else posted I also don't know how I feel about that as the work they do is just exceptional and essential.

Military and childrens charities are my main contributions followed by cancer research.

I suppose h4h have a sound reason but it does make me think.

anyone know or have a link to the reasoning?

Yep, I wasn't sure how I felt about it, still don't tbh. As I said, I'm certainly not knocking the invaluable work that they do, but it doesn't feel right to me (there may well be good reasons I'm unaware of though) that guys that served in NI, Falklands etc wouldn't qualify for assistance. They done a damned good job with the same or similar dangers as Gulf war vets for example.

As mentioned in a response to my post on the other thread, there are other charities that help ex military though and it isn't a competition but I do wonder if they would receive as many donations if there 'cut off point' was better known.


Just to clarify, I'm in no way trying to discredit the tremendous work they do. Nor am I advocating that other charities are more or less deserving than H4H.

 

[guest100718]

I remember some sort of scandal a couple of years back invoving them and buying MOD buildings or something, I dont know much else about them but I would have assumed they helped all veterans.

 

[DCB]

It may well be related to the war in Afghanistan (2001) and the horrific injuries inflicted by IEDs which in many cases seem to have led to serious amputation surgery. This in turn has driven the advancement in prosthetic engineering to a state where current developments are heavily into electronic technology to vastly improve the offering available for victims.

The difference between a basic prosthetic limb and one of these modern hi-tec limbs will be like night & day from what I was told.

 

[brendy]

Very strange, I'd have thought they would have been more in support of when our soldiers are injured protecting us and our interests rather than mr Blairs and co. Im not saying one injured soldier is any different from another but surely having a line in the sand for who "qualifies" and who doesnt is off.

 

[PhilTheFragger]

from the H4H website

"

H4H supports veterans and serving personnel who have been wounded or injured, or have become sick, as a result of serving their country. Additionally their families and dependents receive support from the Charity as they care for their loved one, and adapt to the new challenges that they face. Our primary focus is on those affected by recent and current conflicts due to the urgency and extent of their needs. Anyone is welcome to apply for support and will be considered on a case by case basis and referred to our charity partners where appropriate.

H4H is a tri-service military charity, providing support to full time, reservist Servicemen and women and veterans from the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force."

so now you know

The info is freely available on their website

 

[Old Skier]

Just to clarify a couple of points:

H4H was originally set up to supply a swimming pool and gym for Headly Court which is the military rehab unit that deals with all service personnel with major injuries that may require intensive physio following injury whilst in service, this includes sports and everyday injuries.

The main reason that the founder of H4H wanted to do this was because before the new swimming pool, patients were required to use the local swimming pool in Ashstead. Because of the nature of injuries that where being treated at Headley you can imagine the effect this was having on the local population in particular young children, even though the locals are very supportive. the gym was also considered no longer fit for purpose.

Originaly there was no criteria set by the charity, however the support from the public and celebrities I particular meant that the funding support grew like toppsie. The item highlighted in the previous thread written by Simon Weston is a very good and hard hitting piece.

H4H continues to do great work, however it does not do it on its own and has major financial assistance from other military charities although this does not get the same headlines as H4H.

I personally feel that there is a slight problem with the openness of the criteria set by H4H but this should not distract from the work it does alongside the other military charities. It has however had a significant impact on other charities ability to raise funds as obviously there is only so much to go around.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

I must confess to be surprised and disappointed with this news.

Any soldier injured in action is a hero to me.

 

[Hobbit]

Different charities do different things, even within the same illnesses and conditions. Maybe its a case of if you spread the jam too thin you don't get a taste...

I give to the RBL & H4H in the knowledge that they have different criteria, the end result being that those in need will receive some support.

 

[Hacker Khan]

I think HFH caught the public mood and are very good at publicity, so fair play to them. Whether this is to the detriment of other charities is an interesting question, but there is only so much money to go around so you have to do what you need to do to get it. In a way Comic relief employ very hard hitting tactics when they show films of children dying in Africa, for better or worse the stakes have been raised. In the back of my mind I think I knew they concentrated on recent war victims, but that does not really influence my personal decision to donate or not.

One possible reason why this is not publicised too much is that there was/is a fair amount of opposition to recent conflicts, and the reason why we are in these wars is a lot less clear cut and understandable to many then say the World Wars or The Falklands. And may be there was a fear that people would be less willing to give if they opposed the war, and would have trouble separating their views of the war from the terrible suffering of the victims of it.

 

[richart]

very surprised when I saw on the military charity thread that H4H don't support anyone pre 2001. Cant see that on their website though. As someone else posted I also don't know how I feel about that as the work they do is just exceptional and essential.

Military and childrens charities are my main contributions followed by cancer research.

I suppose h4h have a sound reason but it does make me think.

anyone know or have a link to the reasoning?

H4H was set up to support service men and women injured in current conflicts, so that it did not overlap with other military charities. On the home page it states 'current' conflicts. The type of help it offers through its recovery centres, rehabilitation etc, is aimed at service people that have recently been injured. These facilities would not be appropriate for those injured in say the Gulf war.

I would suggest that you read their website, which will provide much more succinct information than can be provided on a golf forum. If you want to contribute to a charity for other types of service men/women I am sure there will be an appropriate charity for you.

 

[Old Skier]

Unfortunately current conflict means to many civvies, post WW2 which considering that since 1945 there has only been one year 1968, when a member of the services has not been killed or seriously injured. I think a date on the site would be helpful. It is very hard to explain to someone who lost a limb in the 1990's why they cannot have access to the help and equipment that H4H is able to provide.

Not sure why the thread should get so heated as many forum members provide useful funds for the charity and I'm am sure are fully aware who donated funds will go towards. As has been said, nobody is forced to support any charity.

 

[PhilTheFragger]

thread cleaned up

 

[AmandaJR]

Whilst I wasn't aware there was a specific date pre which H4H didn't offer support I assumed most of their funding went into rehab centres like Headley Court. By the very nature of that facility, in rehabing recent/current injuries, I don't have a problem with their decision as to what they support.

Is it fair to say that recent warfare and specifically IEDs has changed the volume and type of injuries suffered by servicemen and therefore more funding is required for such facilities?

What did surprise me was hearing about a stroke victim, wife of a serviceman, who was given a grant to build a wet-room facility downstairs in their house. That use of funds didn't sit comfortably with me.

 

[Hacker Khan]

What did surprise me was hearing about a stroke victim, wife of a serviceman, who was given a grant to build a wet-room facility downstairs in their house. That use of funds didn't sit comfortably with me.

Sounds a bit odd. But then again I am sure you can find an example from every charity where the money didn't go to what people would consider the most in need.

 

[Old Skier]

What did surprise me was hearing about a stroke victim, wife of a serviceman, who was given a grant to build a wet-room facility downstairs in their house. That use of funds didn't sit comfortably with me.

This is a major issue at the moment with all of the major military charities. It is a statutory duty of the local authorities to deal with this matter but because of funding cuts and other issues there are massive waiting lists to even be seen let alone seeing if financially you qualify.

The problem is that the local authorities as soon as they get a wif that they are dealing with ex service personnel tell the client to contact TRBL or SSAFA. Wet rooms are very expensive and the funding through the charities is getting harder to obtain.

Having dealt with 5 of these cases in the last 18 months it's time for all new builds to come with proper shower rooms instead of baths as you will find when you get older you'll never be able to get into the damn things.