Help for Heroes has partnered with watchmakers, Dartmouth Brands, to launch a range of unique, co-branded watches that represent the services that make up our British Armed Forces.
Beginning with AVI-8, the limited-edition Flyboy Engineer Automatic showcases powerful yet subtle design cues to pay tribute to those who have sacrificed their lives for the nation, past and present. The next watch is the Spinnaker Spence Automatic Help for Heroes Limited Edition, which will be launched in January followed by the AVI-8 Hawker Hurricane Help for Heroes Chronograph Limited Edition.
Behind each watch is a moving story of recovery, told by a Help for Heroes veteran. For AVI-8, this is RAF veteran Matt Neve. As an RAF veteran who experienced the horrors of war when he was deployed to Iraq on Op Telic 1, Matt is a great example of a wounded veteran who has rebuilt their life through the recovery services offered by Help for Heroes.
Matt himself has greatly benefited from the charity’s support system, accessing the Help for Heroes Hidden Wounds service and fellowship group. He has also engaged with the charity’s sports programmes and Invictus Games, receiving a grant from Help for Heroes for sporting equipment. He has now gone one step further and supports the charity by reaching out and helping others that need support.
“If Help for Heroes never existed, veterans and their families would be in a much worse off position. The charity is really important in helping those that are suffering from physical and psychological injuries. The charity is also a big part of helping us realise that we may be broken but it doesn’t stop us achieving.”
The sale of these special timepieces will raise much-needed funds to support veterans and their families, with Dartmouth Brands donating a minimum of £25,000 for Help for Heroes. There are just 300 pieces available of the Flyboy Engineer Automatic Help for Heroes Limited Edition, with each watch sold contributing directly to the charity’s vital role in providing emotional, social, and financial support to those with injuries and illnesses attributable to their service in the British Armed Forces.
Mandy Lloyd, Head of Partnerships at Help for Heroes, says, “It’s exciting to be working with Dartmouth Brands on this range of watches whose designs are inspired by the lives of the wounded veterans and their families that we support. The passion of the brand for our cause has shone through in this collaboration and could not have come at a more important time. With our regular income forecast to drop by 30% as a result of the pandemic, their support is invaluable.”
Gavin Crilly-McKean, Chief Commercial Officer at Solar Time Ltd, comments, “We are delighted and honoured to announce the collaboration and partnership with Help for Heroes. Avi-8 draws its inspiration from the Pilots, Engineers and Aircraft of the 20th century and the dedication of all those who have served in our Armed Forces in and out of the cockpit. We pride ourselves in building timepieces with great attention to detail, reflecting the innovation, skill, daring and bravery of those who took to the skies. We look forward to help raising money for this remarkable British charity and support the important work they do for those who have served in the British Armed Forces.”
