Helen Rea has spent much of her career in East Sussex FRS and London Fire Brigade bringing colleagues together to fundraise for Fire Fighters Charity.
From bucket collections and raffles to car washes and running events, she’s done it all, knowing every pound raised supports people across the UK’s fire services community.
But while she was always focused on helping others, she never imagined she might one day need support herself. When that moment came, it changed the way she saw every fundraiser she’d organised.
“A big drive for me is bringing colleagues and the community together”, Helen, who works in Control for LFB, says.
“My husband’s a firefighter, my daughter works in Control, then my dad and two of my uncles were firefighters too, so I just think it’s really important to give back where we can. We’re often away from our families and sacrifice events like Christmas… having support available is so important.”
When it came to accessing that support herself, Helen says it took some of her colleagues pushing her to pick up the phone to actually reach out.
“I’ve spent my whole career encouraging other people to reach out, and I don’t think I ever stopped to consider that I should go,” she says.
“I had an operation on my foot and spent a lot of time in a cast and a boot, without a clear path to recovering quickly.
“I was invited to Marine Court for a week and was absolutely blown away. I was nervous about it to be honest, things like getting into the hydrotherapy people with people I didn’t know felt daunting beforehand, but from day one you’re made to feel so comfortable.
“It was all so beneficial, I had a brilliant week. Everyone I’ve spoken to who’s had support has said it’s amazing too, so why don’t more of us think to get in touch?”
Since then, Helen’s daughter Laura – who also works in LFB Control – has also visited the centre for support.
“Laura’s not been well on and off for a number of years, she’s got an autoimmune disease which can affect her on a regular basis,” Helen explains.
“She was also invited to Marine Court and it was amazing, she was so thrilled with her time there. It helped her build up fitness and some healthy habits which she’s kept with her.”
Laura adds of her experience: “My time on Fire Fighters Charity’s residential programme was a great experience that helped me focus on my personal recovery and wellbeing.”
Both of them now try to spread the word far and wide to encourage other colleagues to reach out for support.
“Because you don’t know what to expect, people put themselves off picking up the phone, but it’s really important for me now to try and put them at ease and reassure them, so they actually make the call,” Helen says.
Another focus for Helen is encouraging people to talk to each other at work, and she recently opened up on her experience with menopause, to normalise the conversation:
“Menopause shouldn’t be an awkward topic in any workplace. I’m grateful that mine has shown what good support can look like, and I hope more organisations can create environments where women feel just as understood and valued during this stage of life,” she says.
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: