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 20 years in the fire service, Ian Richards says he was burnt out. But time spent with The Fire Fighters Charity helped him find the strength within himself to realise a life-long dream. And now he spends his days enjoying the peace and serenity of a small plot of land in the south of France. Hereford and Worcester's West District Commander Richie Jordan suffered in silence with lower back pain and sciatica for years before approaching the Charity. He shares what a difference his visit made to his overall wellbeing. Retired Dorset and Wiltshire firefighter Ludo Macaulay has been recognised with an MBE for a lifetime of service to his community and The Fire Fighters Charity, after spending nearly 50 years supporting causes closest to his heart. As the wife of a Devon and Somerset firefighter, Dawn Colton says she will be forever grateful that her husband had somewhere to turn for help while on the verge of a nervous breakdown. And when she and their sons joined him at Harcombe House for the weekend, she got to experience the magic for herself. Having left his role as an Oxfordshire firefighter nearly 30 years ago, Mark Fussell didn't think he deserved help from The Fire Fighters Charity after a catastrophic car crash in October 2017. But he was quickly proven wrong.
Ian: “You helped me find the bravery to change my life”
Richie: “Any regrets? Only that I didn’t go sooner”
Ludo: “It’s all come together. I’m very honoured.”
Lee & Dawn: “It gave our family some laughter we’d been struggling to find at the time”
Mark: “It was a totally ordinary day until it wasn’t.”
