The Sun’s biggest campaign yet, to help Britain’s wounded troops, launches this week. The paper is joining forces again with the Help for Heroes charity in a bid to raise a massive £20million.  The money raised will help to achieve the next step in aiding seriously injured servicemen and women, by providing seven homes where they can start rebuilding their lives.

The Help for Heroes charity was set up to give support to the wounded war heroes coming back from Afghanistan and Iraq. The Sun has supported the Help for Heroes charity since October 2007, soon after it began.

The new campaign, comprising an extensive editorial programme, TV, 48 sheets, print, CRM and online highlights some of the initiatives fundraisers and The Sun have embarked on to raise money for the charity as well as inspiring others to participate.
 

The TV ad, voiced by Johnny Vegas, touches on some of the fundraising activities undertaken by people right across Britain in 2008, thanking those who have given their time, effort and pain to the cause. The poem is played to the instrumental of the Hero track; the X Factor single initiative from The Sun which in 2008 got to No1 and raised millions for the cause. The Sun lays down the challenge of “what will you do” to encourage further fundraising for the Help for Heroes charity.

The campaign showcases the fundraisers dressed in the outfits they raised the money in. A range of people are featured including Page 3 girl Peta who rode 350 miles, Captain Owen, an 80 year old skydiver and a group of kids who washed cars.

Outdoor posters and in-paper press support the 3-week TV campaign and use images from the ad, with the call to action 'what will you do for our wounded heroes?'.

 also developed a dedicated area on their website to display details about how people can get involved and featuring interviews with fundraisers. The Sun are also working with eBay to launch "Auction for Heroes" on April 6 where you can purchase ‘money can’t buy’ goods donated by celebrities such as Jeremy Clarkson, Simon Cowell and Ian Wright, with proceeds going to Help for Heroes. The public will also be encouraged to auction off possessions they no longer need and donate a percentage to the charity.

Tom Newton Dunn said: “It’s a hugely ambitious task. To hit the new target, we and Help for Heroes must more than double the £19m raised so far. But we also know our readers are capable of miracles. They’ve proved it once – so together let’s prove it again. As our adverts say, thanks you to all who have given so much – but please don’t stop now.”