Pete Campbell has known about the support we offer throughout his career in the fire service, having taken part in fundraisers and donated to us for most of that time.
And the retired firefighter, who worked in both Kent and Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Services, has subsequently been supported with both his physical and mental health over the years; something his wife, Judy, says has been an incredible help.
In order to personally support our Charity and to say thank you for all the assistance provided to Pete over the years, Judy decided to set herself a huge challenge to walk the South West Coast Path earlier this year.
She set off from Minehead on April 4 and walked 696 miles, arriving at South Haven Point, Poole Harbour at the end of May. Judy raised over £3,500 in the process; an amazing achievement, and one Pete says was a particularly proud moment for him.
Support more people like Pete by donating now
“Pete’s had both physical and mental health support over the years,” says Judy, 62.
“He had rehabilitation for knee injuries and in later years he had quite a bad episode with his mental health. It was at a time when it wasn’t really recognised and at the forefront of news or conversation like it is now.
“However, Pete has always spoken about it in the fire service in order to encourage others not to ignore it and to recognise when something is wrong, so they can seek support. He felt the Charity had given him so much assistance he wanted to spread the word about what you do.”
Pete visited Harcombe House, our centre in Devon, around 15 years ago initially for his knee injury and returned 10 years ago following a hernia operation, which he says really helped him. He then visited Marine Court, our centre in West Sussex, for help with his mental health issues.
“The one-to-one time with the experts there was very good,” says Pete.
“More recently, around five years ago, I got in touch again because I was struggling with my mental health. I’d noticed warning signs like memory loss and lack of sleep. I got really stressed to the point I couldn’t even send a radio message or do things I’d been doing for 25 years.
“I went for a week’s stay at Marine Court which was a great help, and after I did seek further support. You don’t really know what’s going on with you at the time and often people feel they can’t admit their emotions to their colleagues so you end up not dealing with it.
“It’s a lot more accepted now and I’d absolutely encourage anyone who may be struggling to get in touch as soon as they can.”
Having seen this support first-hand, Judy says it was the motivation she needed to complete her epic challenge in 2022. The official 630-mile walk has a total ascent equivalent to walking up Everest four times.
“I first started thinking about this walk about five or six years ago,” says Judy. “I was incentivised by a young girl in her 20s who decided to run around the UK, as you do! It made me think, ‘I really want to do something’. I immediately thought of the South West Coast Path.
“I knew it would take a while; I didn’t want to rush and wanted to ‘sightsee’ along the way (hence the extra walking miles), so I planned to do it when I retired. It would also be a big challenge for my 60th, but that ended up being the year of the pandemic.”
Self-financing this challenge, Pete joined his wife for the first two weeks, as well as the last three weeks. Judy walked with her old schoolfriend Sarah for two days, who has a home in Woolacombe, and she stayed with friends, Terry and Julie, for five nights too – who live in Plymouth.
Terry is also a retired firefighter, having worked with Pete in Devon and Somerset Fire Rescue Service. She walked with friends who hired a cottage in Flushing and for the rest of the walk she stayed in hostels and B&B’s.
“There were a number of people that gave me a tenner for the Charity, when they heard about it,” adds Judy. “They didn’t know me; they were trusting me with this money; it was really quite humbling.
“A lot of people know about the Charity, but might assume it’s financed by the Government. It’s such an important message I want to get across, that actually it’s not, and you do such a fantastic job.
“I’ve seen how these donations help people; they helped my husband Pete when he really needed it.”
As well as kind-hearted donations online and during the walk, Judy says two of her friends’ companies fund matched their donations too, raising £225.
You can find out more about corporate fundraising opportunities like that here.
If you’re struggling with your health and wellbeing, we may be able to help you. Call our Support Line on 0800 389 8820, make an enquiry online or register for MyFFC now and visit the ‘Access Support’ tab at the top of the MyFFC homepage.
You can also join our ‘Share Your Story’ Group in MyFFC, by clicking on the ‘Groups’ tab, to chat to others who have received our support or enquire about sharing your own story.