Spending a week away with people you’ve never met may sound daunting to most people – and for Laura Savory, it was certainly out of her comfort zone.
But when she arrived at Harcombe House, our centre in Devon, she immediately felt at ease. Surrounded by others being supported by us, Laura says she soon made lasting friendships with people from all walks of life.
At 31, Laura works as a Youth Intervention Lead with Avon FRS and is married to a firefighter, so she’d long known about our work. However, it wasn’t until a major injury led to weeks off work that she truly understood the difference our support can make.
“My husband was already giving a regular donation to the charity and had mentioned different fundraising like car washes, so I knew it was there for all of us – I just didn’t realise the extent of the rehab side of it,” says Laura.
That changes in January 2025 when a netball game ended in a nasty injury.
“I went for what I thought was going to be a flying interception – but ended up landing badly,” she says.
What followed was a painful and frustrating few weeks as she pushed for a diagnosis, before being told she had ruptured her ACL, MCL and meniscus, as well as sustaining a compression fracture at the bottom of her femur.
After being referred for surgery, Laura faced a long recovery and several weeks away from the job she loved.
“I was on crutches for a couple of weeks and I actually got in touch with Fire Fighters Charity as soon as I knew my surgery date,” she adds. “I had a couple of online sessions with one of the physios, before being invited to Harcombe House for the rehabilitation programme.
“I’m not really one to be by myself, so going there alone was a bit out of my comfort zone. But to be with like-minded people from the service was amazing. There was a mixture of some operational and some partners of fire personnel, which was really nice because I could share that experience too.
“It’s a really lovely centre and it’s a great balance of having some structure, but some free time as well.”
Laura visited the centre in July and was lucky enough to have nice weather while there, meaning she was able to fully explore the grounds and surrounding areas.
“I just did lots of sitting outside, reading my book, and I came back feeling really mentally relaxed, which I think was a massive thing for me,” Laura says. “I think I’d definitely seen my mental wellbeing taking a toll beforehand, with my knee and not being able to play netball, so it was a really nice reset.
“I was naive and assumed it was for operational staff when actually it’s for all of us”
Laura Savory
“Just to work in-person with professionals made such a difference, so they can see what you’re doing. Then I went away with a new programme that I could do in the gym at home, which was great.”
Now, spreading the word to her colleagues is really important to Laura: “Before I went, I spoke to around four people who’d had support from the charity, and it was really nice to hear from them. They all encouraged me to get in touch. Now, I’d definitely do the same for others.
“I was naive and assumed it was for operational staff when actually it’s for all of us.”
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: