We provide a range of support to meet the health and wellbeing needs of the entire UK fire services community – both working and retired. So we’re with you, for life.
We will work with you to understand your needs and how we can best support you. Some people may just need support via one pathway, while for others a combination of different pathways may be appropriate. Here are just a few of the ways we might be able to help you live happier and healthier in retirement:
Living Well Groups and Befriending
Our volunteer-led Living Well Groups offer our retired community the opportunity to meet with like-minded others, either virtually or face-to-face, to socialise and share common interests.
The groups meet regularly and guest speakers are often invited, sharing a wealth of information from health and wellbeing advice to special interest groups.
Find out more: Living Well Groups
We also offer a telephone befriending service to our older community providing social support and connection for our retired beneficiaries through a regular telephone call from a friendly volunteer.
My Fire Fighters Charity (MyFFC) and our Wellbeing Hub
Have you joined our health, wellbeing, and social space for the UK’s fire services community yet?
My Fire Fighters Charity (MyFFC) is an online space for you to come together and engage with others in our fire family. It offers you a wealth of exclusive health and wellbeing content, dedicated groups for you to join and chat to like-minded others, and the opportunity to access support.
It also now has a fantastic new library of interactive health and wellbeing courses, resources and tools in a dedicated Wellbeing Hub. With three levels of information and support, including self-directed courses, our Hub covers topics on everything from alcohol and anxiety to menopause and debt.
Register below and you can access the Wellbeing Hub by clicking on the Access Support or Library tabs.
Welfare support and financial support
From helping during times of financial hardship, to support with aids and adaptations to help you to live independently in your own home, our Welfare Services team is here to support you during difficult times.
Our team can offer advice, information, and support on a wide range of issues including:
• Financial hardship
• Social care support
• Independent living
• Ill health or bereavement
Find out more: Social wellbeing
Rest and recharge
We offer breaks at all three of our centres to help you rest and recharge…
This time away provides individuals, couples, and families with the opportunity to have a break and a period of rest and relaxation to aid emotional recovery following a difficult or challenging time. This may be following a bereavement, an unexpected hospital admission, a terminal diagnosis or perhaps an unforeseen or traumatic event.
For further information email recuperation@firefighterscharity.org.uk
Residential rehabilitation and nursing support
Our five-day physical rehabilitation programme is designed to meet the needs of those with a range of injuries or illnesses.
Our team of Physiotherapists, Exercise Therapists and Psychological Therapists deliver everything from gym and pool sessions to outdoor activities and educational workshops, all tailored to individual need.
We also have a team of registered nurses who can provide 24-hour support at Jubilee House for those who may have a long-term or degenerative condition, or who may have suffered a traumatic injury or stroke. Carers can also attend.
Find out more: Physical rehabilitation
Digital counselling and Hope Programme
Our Psychological Therapists provide short-term 1:1 counselling support via telephone and video.
We aim to help you with a wide range of issues, including stress, anxiety, depression and stabilisation of trauma symptoms.
We also offer regular Hope Programmes, which are six-week online self-management courses run in partnership with Hope for the Community.
These cover topics like managing stress, setting goals and boundaries, gratitude, personal strengths, eating well and improving sleep. The programmes can be taken at entirely your own pace.
Covid Recovery Programme
Our Covid Recovery Programme is dedicated to anyone living with ongoing and long-term symptoms of Covid-19.
Available at all three of our centres, the programme combines online sessions with a five-day residential stay, which is tailored to your individual needs.
It includes a range of educational and activity-based sessions including, but not limited to: breathing techniques, fatigue management, coping strategies and exercise-based sessions.
Reset Programme
Our group-based Reset Programme offers you the opportunity to develop and improve your resilience and overall mental fitness.
From time in the gym and pool through to workshops on stress, relationships, goal setting and more, the five-day programme focuses on improving your overall wellbeing, with activities such as Tai Chi and mindful walks throughout.
