THE boss of military charity Help for Heroes has hit back at criticism of how it spends its money, saying: "We're helping people get better, not running a hotel chain."

Bryn Parry, the organisation's chief executive and co-founder, called on those "bitching" about the charity's operations to instead support wounded soldiers and their families.

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Mr Parry's broadside comes after a report in The Times newspaper found only around half of the bedrooms at Help for Heroes' (H4H) two largest facilities were occupied by serving personnel between August 2013 and January this year.

The network of centres are funded by the British Army, in partnership with Help for Heroes and the Royal British Legion, to support injured military personnel and veterans.

However, the charity - set up in 2007 in response to military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan - said the occupancy rates, obtained under Freedom of Information laws, were based on figures relating to serving soldiers and did not include attendance by mentally and physically injured veterans and their families.

In an open letter, Mr Parry said: "Recovery is not measured in the number of beds occupied on any particular night; we are not running a Travelodge. These Centres are helping to rebuild lives.

"We have done exactly what we set out to do - to provide direct, practical support to the wounded, injured and sick. We have done what it says on the tin. We have, are and will continue to support our wounded."

The Times article quoted H4H sources who reported concerns about the size of the recovery centres, in Tidworth, Catterick, Colchester and Plymouth.

It also reported how taxpayer and charity money has been pumped into the scheme without finding out what was needed.

Costs allegedly went from £70 million over four years to almost £350 million over 10 years to create five personnel recovery centres and a state-of-the-art sporting complex.

The army did not know how many wounded, injured or sick soldiers there were, making it hard to calculate demand for the centres, The Times said.

Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan Sutton, acting chief of staff on the project, said: "The team used to joke how it was like trying to build an aeroplane while taxiing down the runway, someone had forgotten to bolt the wings on, air traffic control didn't know how useful a flight plan might be.

"A few, including myself, warned our senior officers. We were shouted at or just ignored."

He told The Times: "We were spending lots of other people's money - that people had biked, climbed, run and swum for - on bricks and mortar without a clear audit trail about how we got to this position.

"It really worried me and, of course, the costs kept on going up. I thought this was scandalous."

But Mr Parry hit back at claims that the charity should not have provided "all-singing, all-dancing" recovery centres.

He said: "Our brave boys and girls are not just physically wounded. We are helping those with hidden wounds as well. The numbers we support are growing not diminishing. The wounded do not get better the day the guns stop firing.

"There are some who will always take a pop at those who actually do something; those who stand up to be counted.

"Help for Heroes has done and continues to do what it says on the tin; we support our wounded. We do that in partnership with the military, other charities, our corporate friends and our superb supporters.

"It would be brilliant if the naysayers would stop bitching about Help for Heroes and come and do something to help our wounded and their families. Our boys and girls deserve the very best and we will continue to ensure that they get it."