Colin: “Our friend’s legacy will ensure more people have somewhere to turn”
Supporting Fire Fighters Charity has been a major part of Colin and Sue Miller’s lives for decades. Throughout Colin’s 31 years with Essex Fire and Rescue Service – and in the years since retiring – he and his wife have always championed our support amongst friends and colleagues.
And they’ve seen the impact that support has had first-hand. In the 1980s, Sue received support at Marine Court, our centre in West Sussex, during a difficult period following the loss of her mother. That experience stayed with them both.
It’s one of the reasons Colin continued his involvement as a Station Rep and regular donor. His passion for Fire Fighters Charity was clear to everyone around him – including his close friend, Heather Rowe. Although she had no personal connection to the fire service, she understood how much it meant to Colin and began donating herself. Over time, she made the incredibly generous decision to remember us in her will, with a legacy gift.
When Heather sadly passed away in December 2024, Colin and Sue – her powers of attorney and executors – ensured her wishes were honoured.
Her generous gift will now fund a series of important upgrades across our three centres, supporting the ongoing improvement of our facilities and environments. This includes key infrastructure works, enabling improvements to accessibility, and supporting enhancements to the pond, fishing lakes and woodland walks at Harcombe House. In recognition of her lifelong love of running, we also hope to name one of the woodland walks in her honour.
Heather Rowe
Here, Colin remembers their close friend – and what it meant to her to support us:
“Our friendship with Heather first began about 60 years ago now,” says Colin “My wife was her hairdresser at the time, and we actually ended up moving onto the same street as her. Our friendship grew from there.
“She was an incredible lady. She was quite private, and had a very close friendship group, but she was a real character.
“I was in the fire service myself for 31 years and always supported the charity as a Station Rep. I’d talk about the importance of regular giving whenever I could, especially after Susan was helped, and Heather became interested too.
“She started donating every month, before making the decision to remember Fire Fighters Charity in her Will.
“When Heather’s husband, Roy, passed away in 2010, our friendship became even closer and more like family. They’d never had children, and as Heather’s health began to deteriorate, we took on power of attorney for her.”
We recently introduced legacy trees at each of our centres – a way for families and friends to honour loved ones with an engraved leaf, and a heartfelt thank you for their legacy gift.
“Heather was a very keen athlete, she didn’t stop running until she was about 75 – she’d run four or five miles every day and loved the outdoors,” Colin adds. “I know she’d have particularly loved Harcombe House and the countryside around it, so we’ve chosen the legacy tree there for her leaf.
“Heather supported the charity from afar – but thanks to her generosity, her legacy will be felt closely by many for a long time to come.”
To find out more about leaving a gift in your Will, click here: