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.
When Waddesdon Watch Commander Mark Richards was hit by a drunk driver while driving his motorcycle in 2016, his life was changed forever. Now, two years after the incident, his future as a firefighter remains unclear. But he is grateful for the progress he is making, thanks to his time with The Fire Fighters Charity. As the Health, Fitness and Wellbeing Advisor for Staffordshire Fire and Rescue, Fiona Prew is no stranger to signposting people to the Charity to help them with their recovery. But when hit by a car while riding her bicycle and left with potentially life-changing injuries, she admits it took her longer than it ought to have done for her to consider asking for help herself. 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. Chris Morrison is on a mission to prove that having a colostomy bag is not life-inhibiting. So much so, the Northern Irish temporary Watch Commander is trekking the Sahara Desert this autumn, to raise money for the Charity as a way of saying thank you for helping him with his recovery. Nervous at meeting strangers and unwilling to discuss the factors that led to her breakdown, firefighter's partner Angela Bell was reluctant to accept the offer of a stay at Harcombe House. But the friends she made became her support network in more ways than she could have imagined, and restored her faith in humanity.
Mark: “You have to enjoy your achievements where you can”
Fiona: “I kick myself for leaving it so long before I called for myself”
Kelvyn: “This has changed everything for me and I can’t thank the Charity enough”
Chris: “You helped me realise having a stoma isn’t the end of the world”
Angela: “We were all there with a common bond and looked after each other”
