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.
Cheshire firefighter's wife Cathy McBrion was just 53 when she had a stroke while at the wheel and life changed in a matter of seconds. Now she has become a familiar face at Jubilee House, somewhere that she says has brought her out of her shell when her confidence was all but lost. Clare Banks is walking a thousand miles in a year to raise funds for The Fire Fighters Charity, as a way of saying thank you for the kindness shown to her husband, Cliff, after his stroke. Through the ups and downs, they are by each other's side, every single step of the way. Fifteen years ago Adam Bruce survived a motorbike crash that should have killed him, but was left with life-changing injuries. Now the former Scottish firefighter is a familiar face at Jubilee House and has a special place in the hearts of its Nursing Team 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.
Cathy: “Coming here means you don’t feel so alone”
Clare: “We’re taking things one step at a time, with each other by our sides”
Adam: “I know I’m a very lucky person for surviving.”
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”
