In November 2025, The Not Forgotten was chosen by The Telegraph as one of four charities supported by their prestigious Christmas Charity Appeal, running from November through to the end of January.
The Appeal is designed to shine a light on the work that we do by telling the stories of the individuals we support and the impact we have had on their lives; as well as reporting on our life-changing events for veterans such as our St James' Palace Reception and our carp fishing respite break to Cornwall.
Telegraph journalists have been all over the country to interview and photograph some of our beneficiaries (including those pictured above). Their stories have been appearing in the Telegraph and will continue to do so until the end of January. Celebrity supporters such as Matt Goss, Anita Harris and Jeremy Vine have also been lending their voice to the campaign.
Rae Scarff, an Army veteran injured in Bosnia, talking about how her life was transformed by our Colorado ski trip
Stu Parker, an Afghanistan veteran injured in a 'friendly fire' incident, and TNF beneficiary since 2010. A Telegraph journalist spent time on our carp fishing respite break to profile Stu and hear his story.
Hari Budha Magar, a Gurkha veteran who since skiing with us in Colorado has gone on to achieve phenomenal personal feats, becoming the first double above-knee amputee to summit Everest last year.
Dorothea Barron, an astonishing 101-year-old WW2 Wren who still teaches a weekly yoga class and has attended many of our recent events as well as promoting our Matt Goss single for VE Day 80.
JJ Adams, an RAF veteran and later a close protection officer in Afghanistan, who has survived bombs, missiles, the fall of the Berlin Wall and a brain aneurysm - but as with so many veterans regards the transition to civilian life her toughest challenge of all.
Harry Winter, a 103-year-old WW2 RAF veteran with an incredible story of survival after being shot down over Germany, and staying in touch over many decades with one of the Germans who held him PoW.
Caroline Beazley
As a young Royal Military Police officer, Caroline was shot at close range, suffering horrendous facial injuries. She tells her inspiring story of rebuilding her life and her self-belief with the help of TNF.
Kevin Stewart, a Scottish veteran who has participated in our major cycling and hiking challenges. Despite physical and mental challenges, Kev is now taking a theology degree and preparing for ordination in the Church of Scotland - another truly inspirational story.
Annette and Irene, WRAC veterans who by chance were seated next to each other at a TNF Christmas Lunch only to realise they had shared a dorm and a friendship in Northern Ireland almost 40 years before. Their rekindled friendship has helped them battle crippling anxiety and isolation.
Danny White, a former Royal Marine who forged a successful career in the City, but struggled reliving the traumas he had witnessed in Northern Ireland. Following a breakdown The Not Forgotten reached out to him and took him skiing, an experience which he says saved his life.
The perspective of a veteran's wife: "The worry doesn’t end when they come home". Dee Golightly and Lauren Charles talk about supporting their husbands through post-service PTSD and mental breakdown - and how The Not Forgotten has provided a lifeline.
Ruth Bourne, a 99-year-old WW2 Wren who served as a top-secret Bletchley Park codebreaker and shared her extraordinary wartime story with us shortly before she sadly passed away in December 2025.
"Now I’m 60, I realise what our veterans put on the line – and what they lost"
Jeremy Vine wrote a fascinating article for the Telegraph especially for us, about the perceptions of veterans amongst the wider public.
"To Gen Z, the heroism of wartime pilots can feel as remote as ancient history – but we can bridge that gap by backing The Not Forgotten"
The Telegraph attended our Christmas Reception at St James' Palace at the end of November and reported on Princess Anne and Sir Tim Laurence joining our veterans there for 'a mind-blowing charity event'.
The Telegraph also attended several of the Christmas Lunches we run all over the UK during December - where veterans can forget for a few hours their struggles with visible or invisible wounds and enjoy Christmas cheer with people who 'get it'.
Alongside this raising of awareness through these powerful articles and storytelling, The Telegraph is calling for online donations to The Not Forgotten - as well as their three other chosen charities Prostate Cancer Research, Canine Partners, and the MND Association. We hope to raise a significant amount to help fund our next year's events programme.
On Sunday 7th December The Telegraph ran a one-day phone in to take donations. Some of The Not Forgotten team - along with actress/singer and TNF supporter Anita Harris - went along to Telegraph HQ to help man the phones, and the phone-in raised a record-breaking £125,000, to be split between the four charities.
Telegraph readers raise record £125,000 in Christmas charity appeal
