We’re delighted to bring you our Spring 2022 issue of Shout! Magazine, packed full of exclusive articles, inspiring interviews, tips, advice and so much more.
The nation is set to come together to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee this summer and we’ve dedicated part of this issue to celebrating her Majesty, who has been our Patron for 69 years. We’ve also shared a series of real-life stories from our beneficiaries, some of whom have gone above and beyond to fundraise for us, while others have bravely shared their personal experiences of how they’ve been helped – all thanks to your kind donations.
And we’ve once again shared health and wellbeing advice from our practitioners and service leads, covering everything from initiating emotional wellbeing conversations with children in your life to helping you in your recovery from Covid-19.
You’ll find QR codes and links to exclusive videos on MyFFC throughout this issue, so if you haven’t registered already, do so right away and join our Shout! Magazine Extra group.
Our cover is dedicated to Dean Nelson, who has shared his story of how he’s been helped by us – all thanks to your donations over the years.
Dean was forced to retire from his job as a firefighter after a devastating accident left him with major injuries. The father-of-four went on to develop osteoarthritis in both his knees and was told he’d need them replaced, but the procedure couldn’t be carried out until he was older. It means he’ll be wheelchair-bound in just a few years time, while he waits for the surgery.
However, while he knows his condition will continue to deteriorate, he says we have helped him achieve a better way of life, through physical as well as financial support
You can share your story, just like Dean, as well as hearing from others who have done the same by joining our Share Your Story group in MyFFC.
To celebrate Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, and to thank her for her loyal support of our Charity throughout her reign, we spoke to those who met her in person at our Golden Jubilee event in 1993. You can watch the video taken on that day on MyFFC below, and read the guests’ memories on our dedicated page here.
We have transformed how we deliver our services hugely over the last few years, introducing new online support pathways and face-to-face programmes at our three centres.
With that in mind, we have dedicated a double page to the different ways we can support you during your recovery from Covid-19, including information on our Covid Recovery Programme, while also sharing an insight into our Reset Programme which helps you build resilience and move forward positively with your life.
Meanwhile, we’re also launching a new befriending service for our retired community this summer. Could you be a telephone befriender? Find out more here:
Thanks to your generous donations, we’ve been able to continue supporting people across the fire services community when they need it most. We spoke to just a few of our incredible supporters for this issue, including a team of cyclists who raised more than £54,000 for us last year. Read their story here.
And two firefighters revealed how they secured corporate support for their fundraising challenges – which then developed into valuable, long-lasting corporate partnerships for us. Check out page 27 to find out how you could do the same, and watch Matt’s video interview – where he explains how he did it – on MyFFC here:
We recently came to the end of our awareness programme focused on joints and musculoskeletal health and there is a huge wealth of exclusive content available on MyFFC for you to browse, including recipes and cook-along videos, exercise tutorials, advice and so much more. Just search #HealthyJoints or join our Healthy Joints Group.
We’ve also included a pull-out poster focusing on beating pain associated with joint issues, which you can pin up in your station.
Browse our Healthy Joints content in MyFFC
Our Health Improvement Lead, Dr Greg Lessons, outlined 10 simple strategies for budget-friendly student food preparation and you can keep up with all of his latest recipes and cook-along videos in his Nutrition Group in MyFFC:
We’re also delighted to announce the publication, on 4 May, of The Wolf Was Not Sleeping, a charming illustrated children’s book that we are giving away as an exclusive gift for members of the UK fire family. Designed to help you share the pride you feel in your job and to help you talk about it with the young people in your life, the book by children’s author Avril McDonald also features a special foreword from HRH The Duke of Cambridge.
To tie into that, our Psychological Therapist, Zenia Bond, shares some tips to help you talk openly with the children in your life about any fears they may have on page 21.
And we also have all the latest news on our Living Well Groups, all of our latest merchandise offers, an article on why leaving a legacy and remembering us in your will is the most important gift you’ll make and information about our Lottery – including a few words from one of our Jackpot winners.
Our Chief Executive, Dr Jill Tolfrey, explains: “I’ve been delighted to see so many of you joining My Fire Fighters Charity since we launched our new health, wellbeing and social space last November. You’ll find QR codes and links to lots of great MyFFC content throughout this issue of Shout! and, if you haven’t joined MyFFC yet, please do take a look at it as I can guarantee you’ll find something of interest and relevance to you.
“Indeed, the success of MyFFC is, I hope, indicative of the work we are currently doing across the Charity to reach more of our beneficiaries, provide more proactive and preventative information to the whole fire services community and to diversify our services.
“The health and wellbeing section of this issue of Shout! features some of the new programmes and initiatives that we have been running recently, more of which will follow in the months ahead. Of course, the evolution of your Charity and the realisation of our ambition to help every member of the fire services community to help improve the health and happiness of every member of the fire services community, is only possible thanks to your continued support.”
For all of this and much more, pick up a copy of Shout! or hit the link below. And don’t forget to register for MyFFC and join the Shout! Magazine Extra group to see all the exclusive videos.