VetsAid is a British charity concert founded by Joe Elliott, the lead singer of the rock band Def Leppard. The charity aims to raise awareness and provide support for veterans of the British armed forces. Since its inception in 2017, VetsAid has become a flagship event in support of veteran welfare and rehabilitation.
The Origins of VetsAid
VetsAid was founded by Joe Elliott in 2017. Elliott came up with the idea for the charity concert after visiting a veterans recovery center run by Help for Heroes, a British veteran charity. Moved by the experiences of the veterans he met there, Elliott decided he wanted to do something to help support them and raise awareness about veterans’ issues.
As the lead singer of Def Leppard, one of Britain’s most commercially successful rock bands, Elliott had the profile and connections in the music industry to organize a high-profile charity concert. He teamed up with his Def Leppard bandmates and put on the first VetsAid concert at the Arena Birmingham in January 2017, featuring performances from Def Leppard, Kaiser Chiefs,Foreigner, Rumer and other acts.
The first VetsAid concert raised over £200,000 for veterans charities. Buoyed by the success, Elliott decided to make VetsAid an annual event to continue raising money and awareness for the cause.
Joe Elliott’s Motivations
Joe Elliott has said his main motivation for starting VetsAid was to give something back to British veterans who risk their physical and mental health in service of their country. He felt that veterans are sometimes forgotten once they leave active service and saw the need for more support and rehabilitation programs.
“I’ve got family members that were in the armed forces…I’m always thinking about the people that come back from war zones with legs missing, bits of their face missing, and post traumatic stress disorder. I just think they’re forgotten about too quickly,” Elliott said in an interview.
As a famous rock musician, Elliott saw an opportunity to use his platform and connections to benefit veterans. “I’m in a very privileged position that when I pick up the phone and say I want to do a gig for charity, 99.9 percent of people come back and go, ‘Yeah, we’ll do it,'” he said.
Growth of VetsAid
Since starting in 2017, VetsAid has grown substantially as an annual charity concert. The second VetsAid concert took place at the Royal Albert Hall in November 2018, featuring performances from Biffy Clyro, Ash, The Darkness and Def Leppard. It raised over £300,000.
The 2019 VetsAid concert moved to the larger venue of Arena Birmingham and featured acts like Alter Bridge, Bad Touch,Black Star Riders, Foreigner, Hot Milk, The Last Internationale, Phil Campbell and The Bastard Sons, and Thunder. It succeeded in raising over £400,000.
The 2020 VetsAid concert was unable to go ahead due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Elliott organized a special online concert, ‘Joe Elliott’s All Star Charity Show’ instead, which raised £21,000 for veteran charities.
VetsAid made an impressive comeback in 2021 with a concert at Sheffield Arena featuring Def Leppard, Alice Cooper, The Darkness, Foreigner, The Hara, Creeper, Ayron Jones, Myles Kennedy, Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons, Reef and Thunder. The event raised over £400,000 once again.
VetsAid 2022
The fifth VetsAid concert took place on November 12, 2022 at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. It was the first time VetsAid went outside the UK. The 2022 lineup included Def Leppard, Paolo Nutini, The Last Internationale, Inglorious, LizzyDee and more.
Early numbers suggest the Dublin edition of VetsAid succeeded in raising over £300,000 for veterans charities. Joe Elliott expressed his delight, saying “For something that started off as an idea back in 2017 to have raised over £1 million is astounding for us.”
VetsAid’s Charity Partners
The money raised by VetsAid gets distributed to various armed forces charities. While the main partner is Help for Heroes, other charities that have benefited include Walking With The Wounded, Combat Stress, RAF Benevolent Fund and more.
In 2021, VetsAid donations were allocated as follows:
Charity Partner | Amount Donated |
Help for Heroes | £146,000 |
Walking With The Wounded | £108,000 |
Combat Stress | £72,000 |
Erskine | £36,000 |
RAF Benevolent Fund | £18,000 |
Poppy Scotland | £18,000 |
This demonstrates how VetsAid distributes the money raised to different armed forces charities each year depending on need and capacity.
VetsAid’s Impact
In five years, VetsAid has raised over £1 million for armed forces charities through its annual concerts. But just as importantly, it has raised the profile of veterans’ issues and rehabilitation needs through serving as a high-visibility event in the public eye.
VetsAid has helped bring attention to the problems facing many veterans after they transition to civilian life, such as isolation, PTSD, physical injuries, homelessness and employability. The concerts strike an upbeat tone of celebration and tribute for veterans’ service and sacrifice.
“Mental wounds and injuries you cannot see with the naked eye. But the effects on the individuals and their families can be devastating,” said Joe Elliott. “It’s organizations like Help for Heroes and Combat Stress that are trying to help remedy this, and VetsAid aims to build on and enhance that vital work.”
The Future of VetsAid
Joe Elliott remains committed to making VetsAid an annual event for the foreseeable future. He has expressed a wish for it to continue beyond his lifetime and for other artists to eventually get involved in organizing the concerts.
“VetsAid will outlive me… Even if I didn’t do another one for 10 or 15 years, it can be revived, it can carry on, it can keep going. I’d like to get it to a point where other people keep it going,” Elliott said in an interview last year.
Elliott has hinted that big plans are underway for the 2023 VetsAid concert, including trying to get the British royal family involved in some capacity. He has also suggested locations like Manchester, Cardiff or Liverpool could potentially host future VetsAid events.
Wherever the future VetsAid concerts take place, they are sure to keep raising funds and awareness for veteran welfare for many more years thanks to Joe Elliott’s vision in founding the charity back in 2017.
Conclusion
In summary, VetsAid was founded by Def Leppard lead singer Joe Elliott in 2017 to support charities helping British veterans. Moved by their plight after visiting a recovery center, Elliott used his celebrity status to create the concert series to raise money and awareness. From modest beginnings in its first year, VetsAid has grown into an annual flagship event for veteran causes, raising over £1 million to date. Elliott remains committed to expanding the charity concert and keeping it going for many more years. Through harnessing the power of music, he has created a highly effective campaign to support those who served their country and now need help rebuilding their lives.