The couple visited Selly Oak Hospital in July 2007, where they met servicemen and women who had been injured in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Initially the couple wanted to raise funds for a dedicated swimming pool for injured veterans at Headley Court Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre in Surrey.

They also attracted support from national newspapers in the United Kingdom, such as The Sun[5] and The Sunday Times who made the charity one of the beneficiaries of their Christmas appeal in 2007, raising more than £600,000.

[8] In May 2013, Help for Heroes experienced a sharp rise in donations following the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby in Woolwich, London.

In May 2022, the Ministry of Defence accepted a proposal from the Royal British Legion to lead the end-to-end delivery of Team UK for the following five years, ending Help for Heroes’ involvement with the Invictus Games.

Participants in the programme receive coordinated medical, psychological, and welfare support, designed to help them overcome sickness and injury, and ultimately return to active duty, or transition to civilian life.

They work with men and women with physical health challenges, helping them access specialist therapies, get clinical equipment and to re-engage with the community.

[24] Help for Heroes was responsible for the training, selection, and development of Team UK in the first four editions of the Invictus Games: 2014 (London), 2016 (Orlando, Florida, USA), 2017 (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), and 2018 (Sydney).

Help for Heroes worked in partnership with the Ministry of Defence and the Royal British Legion to support the UK team.

In May 2022, it was announced that the Ministry of Defence had accepted a proposal from the Royal British Legion to lead the end-to-end delivery of Team UK for the following five years, ending Help for Heroes' eight-year association with the Invictus Games.

[27] Help for Heroes previously grant funded more than 90 specialist charities and organisations; including Winston's Wish, The Poppy Factory, Blesma and Combat Stress.

[37] Help for Heroes offers a range of fundraising challenges and events including bike rides in the UK and Europe, Skydives, marathons, walks, and treks to Nepal and Machu Pichu.

The winning bid was £1.5 million which gave the winner, Julie Heselden, the chance for her and eight family members to fly in the team's Hawk jets.

The Help for Heroes XV won the match 29–10 in front of a crowd of 52,254, which included The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall.

[44] In October 2010, it was announced that the finalists of the seventh series of The X Factor would be recording a version of David Bowie's 1977 song Heroes.

"[48] This was held on 12 September 2010 at Twickenham Stadium in London, and featured, among others, Robbie Williams, Gary Barlow, Peter Kay, Tom Jones, and Pixie Lott.

[50] The Help for Heroes 4x4 European Rally[51] is an annual non-speed battlefield touring assembly that takes place in June.

Starting in England, it covers 2,000 miles and seven countries in twelve days, visiting World War I and II battlefields and museums.

[52] The Help for Heroes Board of Trustees, who work in an unpaid, voluntary capacity, are responsible for the overall control and strategic direction of the charity.

Its patrons include:[55] In August 2012, a group of wounded ex-servicemen, featured in a report for BBC's Newsnight, criticised Help for Heroes for its relationship to the Ministry of Defence (MOD).

[59] A review by the Charity Commission in 2016 found that Help For Heroes had paid £158,000 to settle employment claims over the previous four years.