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.
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. For someone who was told he would never walk again, watching Bob Stovell walk through the woods with his daughter, Jo, is a pretty special sight. As the cover stars of our Spring issue of Shout! magazine, the pair tell us about the accident that changed their family's lives, and how the Charity supported them in the years that followed. Only a few hours into his stag do in Magaluf in the summer of 2016, the course of James Thorpe’s life was altered in just a few seconds when he ran into the sea, fell, and broke his neck. Here, the former London and Norfolk firefighter shares his story. As a word of warning, some readers may find the account of his accident distressing. A career firefighter who was paralysed following the removal of a tumour on his spine, Graham Murray was helped at home by the Charity. The Charity supported Val Rowinski with the funding she needed to purchase a life-changing wheelchair. Here's her story.
David: “I’m determined to get more out of MS than it gets out of me”
Bob and Jo Stovell: “The Charity put a spark back into my Dad”
James: “You don’t think you’ll ever need help. I certainly never thought I would.”
Graham: “Your help has been life-changing. There are no other words for it”
Val: “I am in awe of the help I have been given”
