For Francesca Saunders, a dedicated social worker and wife of a firefighter, supporting others has always been at the heart of what she and her husband do.
But, as she says herself: “People doing the caring are so focused on looking after other people, they forget to look after themselves.”
It’s motivated her to spread as much awareness as possible about the importance of looking after your wellbeing throughout your life – not just when you feel you really need it. A message which is at the heart of Fire Fighters Charity’s mission.
For Francesca, who’s married to a retired LFB firefighter, she found that preventative approach was captured perfectly in our HOPE (Helping Overcome Problems Effectively) Programme.
“I’d always known about the charity,” she says. “My husband actually went up to Jubilee House many years ago following a knee injury and found it really helpful. I couldn’t believe it was all available to him – I was really impressed.”
She recalls how transformative that experience was, adding: “The quality of the physio there was amazing, compared to what he’d had previously. It really, really helped him. He’s also raised money through his role over the years, so we were fortunate to see the difference that makes.”
For Francesca herself, however, our online wellbeing programme stood out in particular.
The HOPE Programme is available to anyone who feels they’d benefit from a boost to their wellbeing during a time of change or uncertainty, however big or small. Completely anonymous, it can be taken at your own pace, to fit around your life.
“I work a lot around stress and self-care, so the HOPE Programme immediately stood out to me,” she says. “For me, it’s important to find ways of recognising, early, when you need help – and there were a lot of parallels there with the HOPE Programme. It was really great for that.”
“It’s wonderful to see how the charity and the HOPE Programme make such a difference”
Francesca Saunders
Initially, Francesca joined the programme with the idea of possibly becoming a facilitator in the future. But she ended up finding it incredibly beneficial personally.
“It ended up being really helpful,” she says. “There were some really lovely dialogues with people on the programme, and the group really gelled. Of course, if you’d rather stay anonymous, you can too – it’s tailored to you. I could see how much help was there for people. It empowers you and makes you feel really independent.
“I really took away the practical elements myself. I have a mindset that overthinks so often, and what I took from this was finding those few minutes to make some space for myself and relax.”
Now in the final stages of her volunteer facilitator training, Francesca is keen to help others experience the same benefits she found.
“It’s wonderful to see how the charity and the HOPE Programme make such a difference,” she says. “It’s empowering, it’s practical, and it reminds you that taking care of yourself isn’t selfish – it’s essential.”
To find out more about the HOPE Programme and sign up to it, click here:
If you feel you’d benefit from our health and wellbeing support, you can call our Support Line on 0800 389 8820, make an enquiry online or click below: