Find out how The Fire Fighters Charity has supported beneficiaries across the UK and how you can share your story with the fire community. Click categories or regions below to filter the list of stories.
When Hayward's Heath firefighter Mark Butler passed away in May, he left behind him a legacy that will never be forgotten in Sussex. His daughter, Megan, shares how the Charity helped her process her grief in the months that followed, and why she'll always see West Sussex Fire and Rescue as her extended family. For retired South Wales firefighter Roger Pugh, our Aberdare Living Well Group provides a much-needed source of friendship and community, and helps combat the loneliness he feels after the loss of his wife. For former Royal Berkshire firefighter and double amputee Richard Baldwin, whatever life has thrown at him, his wife Sue has been at his side. We sit down with the pair to hear how the Charity has supported both their physical and mental needs, and how it all culminated in a Royal visit... Asking for help is not an idea that comes naturally to Norman Meechan. A Scottish firefighter who spent 31 years with the service, he had always thought he could manage by himself without having to trouble anyone. But when his wife, Shonah, had a stroke and he later developed Parkinson’s Disease, it took him having a nervous breakdown before he realised how important it is to let others help you. A lightweight wheelchair paid for by the Charity opened up doors for former Fife firefighter David Leeson that he never thought were possible. From coastal rowing to representing his country at Wheelchair Curling, David says he is seeing and doing things he never thought he would when he was first diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis 20 years ago.
Megan: “I had to relearn who I was, not just the girl whose dad had died”
Roger: “The group helps with the loneliness”
Richard: “The Charity has saved my life, just as much as if they’d run in and dragged me out of a house fire.”
Norman: “You make my wife feel like a queen during her visits”
David: “I’m determined to get more out of MS than it gets out of me”
