Jacqui: “When you’re active and that’s taken away, everything can snowball”
Jacqui McDonald ran the London Marathon for us in 2021, after receiving both physical and mental health support throughout her career.
Real life story categories
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.
After retained firefighter Simon Amos suffered a sudden health scare during the pandemic, he says a visit to Jubilee House not only helped with his physical fitness, but also his mental health. John McCulloch has struggled with his mental health and traumatic memories ever since having a stroke, but he says he and his partner – who’s been his carer – have been supported by the Charity throughout. Scottish firefighter David Kerr has raised the most amount of money by any individual during our Fire Family Challenge. He and his wife, Karen, turned a negative into a positive to say thank you to the Charity for the support we showed them during the toughest months of their lives. Unable to fundraise with the rest of her new recruits due to the pandemic, Kayleigh McInnes decided to do a sponsored walk around Glasgow's fire heritage trail, joined by her dad and fellow member of the fire family, Eddie.
Simon: “Being at the centre, you feel part of the firefighting family… part of this big team”
John: “I thought I’d tucked it to the back of my mind, but it was all coming back”
David and Karen: “How do we find the words to say thank you?”
Kayleigh: “I’ve started my career as I mean to go on”