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.
Having been involved in a motorcycle accident just four months into his career as a retained firefighter, Steven Tiller has since been able to return to full fitness with our support and is now preparing for an epic challenge to say thank you. After a change of circumstances forced him to move into a shed, Scottish firefighter Alistair McNab contacted our Welfare Services Team. We caught up with him to find out how his life has turned around since then. From the depths of depression, to the safety of his new flat, this is a story of bravery in the face of adversity. As the wife of a former 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 breakdown. Kelvyn Thompson says the support he received at Harcombe House helped him turn his life around, after struggling with his mental health following his time in Iraq. 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.
Steven: “I felt like I was no longer a prisoner inside my own body”
Alistair: “I wanted to show I needed help because others might as well”
Lee & Dawn: “It gave our family some laughter we’d been struggling to find at the time”
Kelvyn: “This has changed everything for me and I can’t thank the Charity enough”
James: “You don’t think you’ll ever need help. I certainly never thought I would.”
