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 knee injury sustained just nine months into her career could have taken Nottingham firefighter Danielle Lee off the run for a year, had it not been for the help she received from The Fire Fighters Charity. Instead she was back at work in a matter of months. Louise Moody had no idea she could access the Charity's support. But as the partner to a serving firefighter, when she reached out for mental health support, we were only too happy to help. Nine-year-old Teresa Byron decided to take on her own fundraising challenge to say thanks for the support her mum, Daisy, received when she came to the Charity after being medically retired from her 15-year career as an operational firefighter. For the first time ever, Hertfordshire Station Commander James Bull is opening up about his own mental health struggles in the hope it inspires other people to do the same. And what better place to do so than the sub-Saharan Desert? 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.
Danielle: “You gave me the golden ticket I needed to get back to work”
Louise: “The Charity’s support branches out to the whole fire network”
Daisy: “My daughter wanted to say thanks for helping her mummy”
James: “My story is not unique. But we don’t talk enough.”
James: “You don’t think you’ll ever need help. I certainly never thought I would.”
