London Fire Brigade firefighter Sam Hayward knows first-hand how important it is to ask for help – and just how life-changing that support can be.
Like all of us, firefighters face challenging moments in their personal lives. But when those challenges collide with the everyday pressures of the job, it can feel overwhelming.
For London firefighter Sam, that moment came in 2024 – and thankfully, he knew exactly where to turn.
“I’d actually previously had some support from Fire Fighters Charity following a car accident, so I knew what was available to us,” says Sam.
“I was on the way to work and had a head-on collision, which resulted in bad whiplash and quite bad muscle pain around my neck and back – I had quite limited movement.
“I got in contact with the charity and fairly sharply they offered me a stay at Harcombe House. It was a week’s rehabilitation programme to get me moving again.
“The combination of everything at the centre was amazing. We had the hydrotherapy which is great, then the physios help a lot and just being in a comfortable space with people that knew what they were doing to help me to not push myself but push it enough was great.
“It’s knowing that the second you join [the service], Fire Fighters Charity is there for you.”
Since then, Sam’s wife, Nicole, has also received support for her mental wellbeing.
“Nicole moved over from New York just before Covid and felt a little isolated – along with a few other things – leading to some stress and anxiety,” says Sam.
“She was offered a place on the Reset Programme and she had an amazing time. It was five days away from home, five days away from everything really, and with people that all needed each other. She came back a lot happier and it definitely started her recovery process. It was fantastic.
“It’s funny because she’s still in contact with some of the group from that as well. So again, she’s made a set of friends that she probably wouldn’t have necessarily met if it weren’t for the charity.”
“The job we do is hard… it’s just so important to keep an eye on your mental health”
Sam Hayward
More recently, it was Sam who got back in touch with us after noticing signs that he was struggling with his own mental health.
“A few things happened, just a bad time… if it happens, it all happens at once,” he explains. “The birth of our baby girl wasn’t easy and there were a few other little things in between. Everything just culminated so I needed a bit of time.
“I contacted the charity pretty much immediately and just said I needed a bit of help, and they were so fast in getting back to me. Since then, I’ve done six psychological therapy sessions online and they were amazing. She gave me tools to work forward with.”
Sam hopes to encourage others to reach out when they need a helping hand too.
“The job we do is hard – it’s stressful – and I think it’s just so important to keep an eye on your mental health.
“It’s quite easy just to be like, ‘I’m fine, don’t worry about me, I’m fine’. And I think we need to step away from that and if you do need help, get it. The charity is there for us. It’s so important and it’s done me the world of good. I’m better at home, I’ll be better going forward and I’ll be better for my daughter.”
Sam recently completed the 2025 London Marathon in aid of us, which he says was his way of “giving something back.”
“Everything really is reliant on us, as donors and fundraisers. Fire Fighters Charity is there for us, so we should be there for them,” he 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 visit the ‘Access Support’ tab in My Fire Fighters Charity.