Ivy and Harry Greenwell were both firefighters in the Auxiliary Fire Service when they met 60 years ago, so they’ve always been a firm part of the UK’s fire family. And with that came a close link to our charity – known then as the Fire Service National Benevolent Fund – and a shared passion to fundraise for us.
However, when they both moved on to new jobs, they never considered that they’d be beneficiaries for life. It was only some years after Harry was involved in a serious accident that they experienced our support first-hand.
“I have very fond memories of my time in the fire service. At one time I was qualified to lecture on atomic warfare!” says Ivy, who now lives in the Durham area with her husband. “I was at Seaham initially, and then a couple of years later – we’re going back around 60 years now – a man called Harry Greenwell appeared. We’ve been together ever since.
“I knew of the Benevolent Fund, as the charity was then, because I was one of the volunteers who would stand with a bucket and collect donations. We’d never needed support before and to be honest, we didn’t think we’d be eligible for it now. It was only when a friend of ours told us to ask that we did.”
Harry was sadly in a major accident 26 years ago, while on his way to work. While pulling out of a junction in his car, he hit some black ice and slid across the road into an old stone wall, which collapsed onto the car.
“Harry suffered severe head injuries and while in a coma – because of all the bleeding and damage in his brain – he went on to have a massive stroke as well,” says Ivy.
“I’d been down in London on business at that time. When I switched my mobile on that morning, it was the police telling me I had to get up there straight away because he wasn’t expected to make it. Don’t ask me how I got there, but I did, and thankfully he made it.”
Since then, Harry’s needed a lot of support as he’s now completely paralysed on his right side and has limited speech. Ivy became his full-time carer in the years that followed.
It was only in 2023 when Ivy was chatting to a friend, however, that she was reminded how they’re both eligible for our support still. She called and was put in touch with our nursing team at Jubilee House, our centre in Cumbria.
“I wasn’t expecting to be able to access support, but of course I was told we could,” says Ivy. “I can’t tell you how thrilled we were.
“We’ve been twice since then and Harry’s movement has come on so far just in that short time – particularly with the help of Caroline and Louise, the physiotherapists who worked with him.
“You can’t help wondering what he’d be like today if we’d been sooner – that’s why I want as many people as possible to know about the charity, as soon as possible.
“I’m Harry’s full carer, so I was able to stay with him and have that break too. I did no cooking or cleaning, I could look at a menu and plan my meals for the next day.
“It also meant I could see what Harry was doing, so we can carry them on at home together.”
While at the centre on their second visit, Ivy enquired about donating to us, as a thank you for the support they’d received. And she was particularly moved when watching a video we shared recently with Ken, another beneficiary who’s been helped by our nursing team. You can watch that here:
“We wanted to show our appreciation in some way,” adds Ivy. “The nursing team were outstanding, just so caring, so kind, they want to do anything they can to help you. I saw a video recently – with Ken – and it was amazing. We donated £1,000 after seeing it.”
Ivy says she’s never let Harry’s stroke stop them enjoying their life together and now, having our support at the end of the phone, is an added relief.
“In a way, we’re lucky,” she says. “We’re still together, we’ve been able to travel – I’m a pretty determined person so I say, ‘I can and I will’ – and now we have the Fire Fighters Charity in our life – what a blessing and an improvement.”
If you feel you’d benefit from our health and wellbeing support, you can call our Support Line on 0800 389 8820, make an enquiry online or visit the ‘Access Support’ tab in My Fire Fighters Charity.
And remember – if you’re feeling suicidal, you can call our Crisis Line 24 hours a day on 0300 373 0896.