A READING army veteran has designed a t-shirt for Help for Heroes.
Fiona Gray was one of five veterans supported by the charity who were chosen to help design a new range of products which will support other wounded and sick veterans and their families.
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The charity took a photograph of Fiona’s dog which she entered into a Help for Heroes Christmas card competition and turned it into a graphic for the t-shirt.
Fiona said: “A photo that I took of my dog on Christmas Day is going to raise money for Help for Heroes – that’s phenomenal!
"It feels nice to be able to give back to the charity who have helped me so much.”
Fiona joined the Army in 1995, joining the Royal Artillery straight from training.
A back injury meant that she transferred to the AGC(SPS) in 2002 where she served for just over 20 years before being medically discharged in 2014.
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She has subsequently found a love for photography which she says helps her to “get out there” and would now like to learn how to draw the pictures she has taken.
Tanya Ingleton, Head of Marketing for Help for Heroes’ retail division added: “The designs by Fiona and the other artists are wonderful and I’m sure they’ll be very popular as Christmas presents.
"This new range provides a great showcase of the incredible talent we have amongst the Veterans we help. "I hope it will inspire people to buy authentic items that are not just great gifts, but ones that will do good too.”
Help for Heroes supports anyone who is wounded or becomes ill as a result of their service in the Armed Forces.
However, recovery from physical or psychological injury takes time and there is no “one size fits all” approach.
Some may benefit from a physical programme, such as sports recovery.
However, others, like Fiona, may find creativity eases the daily struggle of living with pain, depression, anxiety or PTSD.
To see the full Help for Heroes catalogue, which includes a selection of clothing, Christmas cards & decorations and homeware, click here.
100% of the profits from the sale of the items goes to Help for Heroes, providing much needed funds that will enable the charity to support our wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women and their families.
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