The Fire Fighters Charity

South West

Regional Fundraiser:  Judith Charmer

Level 6
Belvedere
Basing View
Basingstoke
Hampshire
RG21 4HG

Counties Covered: Avon, Dorset, Cornwall, Devon, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Somerset.

Forthcoming Events

Latest Fundraising News

The Mayor of Bournemouth chooses The Fire Fighters Charity!

The Mayor of Bournemouth, Cllr. Barry Goldbart, has selected The Fire Fighters Charity as one of his charities to support in his mayoral year. The Mayor will be raising awareness and funds for the Charity by holding the following events:

  • BBQ & Scavenger Hunt at the Royal Bath Hotel - 9th of September
  • Sponsored walk from Boscombe Pier to Bournemouth Pier - 2nd October
  • Fashion Show by House of Fraser - 28th October
  • Abba Night at Ruby's Night Club - 30th October
  • Race Night - 19th. November
  • Motown Night at the Littledown Centre -11th December
  • Mayor's Charity Masked Ball at the Pavilion Ball Room - 19th February
  • Quiz Night - 1st April
  • Duck Race for children at Central Gardens - Easter Saturday
  • Mayor's Last Bash at Ruby's Nightclub - 12th May

The Charity would like to thank the Mayor for his support and encourages everyone to get involved with the fundraising events taking place within Bournemouth. You can find out more information above any of the above events here and you can book tickets by contacting the Mayor's PA, Hazel Randall on 01202 451117 or by email at hazel.randall@bournemouth.gov.uk.

 

Get Knitting!

Sherborne branch of Britannia, Dorset are asking their customers to get knitting! They are asking for people to make 20cm x 20cm double knitting squares, using 4mm (size8/US 6) knitting needles! People will then bring them into the branch, where all the squares will be sewn together to create a blanket, the blanket will then become a Christmas raflle prize, where all proceeds will be donated to The Fire Fighters Charity. The branch is welcoming all squares so please either drop into the store or post them to: Britannia, 77 Cheap Street, Sherborne, Dorset, DT9 3BA. A picture of the blanket will be uploaded in December! I wonder how big the blanket will be!

 

Three Peaks Challenge

Ashley Skett is taking on the "Three Peaks Challenge" to raise money for the Charity, following the tragic lose of his colleagues.

Ashley was part of the retained crew with John Averis and Ian Ried who attended the Warwick warehouse fire in which they sadly died, along with Ashley Stephens and Darren Yates-Badley."It is because of this incident and all the support the crew and families have received from The Fire Fighters Charity that has inspired me to try to give something back".

Ashley now lives in Newquay but on 21st May he will be heading up to Scotland to scale 3 mountains - Ben Nevis, Scarfel, Snowdon - in just 24 hours! Please support Ashley by sponsoring him to do this challenge via his justgiving page.

 

Charity Sail Challenge

Starting as the Solent Challenge in 1999, The Fire Fighters Charity Sail Challenge celebrates its' tenth birthday this year (although there was a short break at the beginning of the century). This year three crews from Northamptonshire and beyond will be meeting up in Plymouth, on Monday 15th June, to raise money for The Fire Fighters Charity ready to start the Challenge the next day. Prior to the event supporters are invited to enter a competition, to estimate how long it will take for the fastest of the yachts to sail from Plymouth to Braye on the Channel Island of Alderney, a distance of about ninety nautical miles. There is a small entry fee for the competition and entrants are invited to make an additional voluntary additional contribution which can, where appropriate, be subject to Gift Aid. Last year the event raised over £2,500. Although organised by former members of Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service, most of the sailors are members of the general public with a significant number being members of Wellingborough Round Table.

 

LDC Comes to Cornwall

Cornwall held its own Ladies Driving Challenge, on Sunday 29th March 2009. This unique Charity fundraising initiative tested ladies' driving skills with all manner of heavy duty vehicles, including fire engines, articulated lorries, and even hovercrafts!

 

Certificate of Appreciation

Aril Everett receiving her certificateThursday 11th December saw Avril Everett of Cornwall County Fire Brigade being presented with a Certificate of Appreciation.

The award is in recognition of the tremendous commitment that Avril has given The Fire Fighters Charity in Cornwall, the six brigades in the South West and for the number of years she has actively shown her support.

 

In memory of Jack

Charles Cribbs, a retired fire fighter, is organising a road run over the August bank holiday weekend, taking 15 steam engines from Fairford in Gloucestershire to the Great Dorset Steam Fair. The run is called the 'Jack Wharton Tenth Anniversary Road Run', in memory of Jack Wharton who was the father of the steam engine movement, and sadly died of cancer ten years ago. Now that ten years have passed, stalwart members of the steam movement, including John Wharton - son of Jack, want to re-inact the road run. The funds will be split between The Fire Fighters Charity and Cancer Research UK.

The run will commence on the Saturday morning from Fairford and travel through villages such as Wootton Bassett, Potterne, Wilton, Devizes and Berwick St John - arriving on Bank Holiday Monday at Tarrant Hinton for the Great Dorset Steam Fair. The very best of luck Charles!

Trip to the Pole!

A fire fighter from Bristol is taking the trip of a lifetime in a bid to raise money for The Fire Fighters Charity and The Bristol Children's Hospital.  Danny Munden is entering the 350 mile Polar Race to the North Pole, a gruelling journey that will take him through the North West Territories of Canada and eventually reaching the North Pole.  If you would like to pledge support to Danny, you can donate at www.justgiving.com/dannyfirebenfund.  The very best of luck Danny!


Owen Jesse Cole

The following is a submission from Susan Greenwood:

"I attended the memorial service of a remarkable man in Gloucester on Wednesday 18th January 2006;  his name: Owen Jesse Cole, born 11th April 1902, died 9th November 2005.

I was lucky enough to meet Mr Cole at Oban Retained Fire Station, where I worked, on 2nd June 1997 and we corresponded ever since.  He inspired me as, I hope, through this article, he will inspire you too. 

Owen Jesse Cole first joined the fire service part time in his home town of Gloucester as a 12 year old.  His job was to knock on the doors of crew members too far away from the fire station to hear the siren.   At the age of 15 he became a fire cadet and a full time firefighter in January 1918, earning 28 shillings a week working 13 day shifts with one day off.  Before leaving for West Sussex in 1939, Owen became a fireman-driver, and then  a fireman-driver-mechanic.    He moved to Littlehampton just before the Second World War where he became a training officer in charge of 60 firefighters.  By the end of 1943 he was supervising the loading of invasion barges for D-Day with supplies such as ammunition and fuel as Port Fire Officer.  He received a commendation from the Home Secretary for his actions in dealing with a fire at a local boatyard there.
 
Owen worked for 17 years in Sussex, becoming OiC of Chichester fire station after the war until his retirement in 1957. 

Although no tally was ever kept of the money raised by Owen’s fundraising activities, his efforts and those of his daughter, Thelma Fleming, (he moved to be with her in 1999) must have raised thousands of pounds for the Benevolent Fund.   Until he was 102, Owen exhibited the extensive collection of Fire Brigade memorabilia that he had built up.  Amongst his most prized possessions was an 1820’s leather helmet from the private fire brigade of the Duke of Norfolk stationed at Arundle Castle.  He also had a made-to-measure brass helmet bought by Gloucester Corporation for 17/- 6d.   

As well as this, Owen and Thelma made hundreds of upholstered teddy settee doorstops that were very popular.    They even did mail order: the armchairs went all over the world through the post, minus the bricks of course!   As if this is not remarkable enough, Owen used to sew together the upholstery for the chairs using a Singer sewing machine he bought in 1926 for three pence a week.   As the armchairs contained half bricks, Owen used to cut the bricks in half by hand, a procedure which took some 2 hours, until he got a power saw.

Sadly, Owen’s funeral was a double one, as his son, Owen Harry Cole, passed away a day after Owen senior.   Of the money collected for both men instead of flowers, £320 was presented to the Benevolent Fund and a further £485 handed over to Martin Hodder of Southend Fire Station for Fire Brigade use.  Owen also left £1000 to The Fire Fighters Charity in his will.

Owen Jesse Cole had a wonderful memory that he shared with everybody he met.  His generous spirit will live on in the minds and deeds of all who were lucky enough to meet him."

Susan Greenwood, Clerical Assistant, Oban Wholetime Retained Fire Station
January 2006