Being in the fire service means being part of a second family and that doesn’t stop when you retire – it lives on through lasting bonds and new friendships along the way.
For Tony Terry, who retired from his firefighting career with London Fire Brigade more than 20 years ago, the support he’s received at our centres has been a powerful reminder that the fire service family – and Fire Fighters Charity which stands beside it – is there for life.
While Tony, who’s now 73, had received support before, he says visiting Marine Court, our centre in West Sussex, following a partial knee replacement recently gave him his “spark back” and reminded him he “wasn’t alone”.
“I suffered an injury around 20 years ago which unfortunately led to my retirement from the fire service… that’s when I first got in touch with Fire Fighters Charity,” says Tony.
“They’d just opened Jubilee House at the time, so I visited in its second week. It was a huge help… I felt a bit adrift when I first got there, but once I settled in, I immediately felt at home.
“I remember feeling quite humble because there were people with worse injuries than me and I thought, ‘perhaps I shouldn’t be here’, but it wasn’t the case at all. Mentally it readjusted my mind.
“I also previously went to Harcombe House when my wife wasn’t very well and we went as a family for some respite care. That was a great break for us all, something a bit different.”
Those memories stayed firmly in Tony’s mind so that, when he underwent a partial knee replacement more recently, he knew where to turn during his recovery.
“I’d been very active before the operation, I did cycling, kayaking and all sorts, so I’d found it difficult not being able to do any of those things,” Tony adds.
“After a telephone conversation with a physio, I was given a date to go to Marine Court.
“You realise that you haven’t been forgotten.”
Tony Terry
“I have to say, it was hard work! But after a week of intensive physio, not forgetting the mental stimulation meeting others on the course had, I came away feeling motivated to continue my training in my local gym at home.
“The food was excellent, the service was brilliant, they’re so helpful and it all felt so easy. I actually remember it feeling like I was leaving a family by the end of the week, it really felt like being back in the fire service.
“My goal there was to cycle again, and I’ve been able to do that since.
“It gave me a spark back, it reminded me I wasn’t alone. We’re a family of firefighters, no matter who we are, and in a time of need, the charity will always be there for us. You realise that you haven’t been forgotten.”
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