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.
After five years of living in constant pain, retired Merseyside firefighter Gary Burns felt like giving up. But three visits to Jubilee House showed him just how much progress he could make if he put the work in and gave him a light at the end of what has been a very long tunnel. Reading firefighter Danny Wheeler spent years battling with the long-term effects of chronic pain on his physical and mental health. Then a series of close bereavements left him feeling like he had nothing left to live for. His decision to contact The Fire Fighters Charity is one, he says, saved his life. For the first time ever, Hertfordshire Station Commander James Bull is opening up about his own mental health struggles in the hope it inspires other people to do the same. Cheshire firefighter's wife Cathy McBrion was just 53 when she had a stroke while at the wheel and life changed in a matter of seconds. Now she has become a familiar face at Jubilee House, somewhere that she says has brought her out of her shell when her confidence was all but lost. For former RAF firefighter Mark Latham, the combination of a near-fatal accident and traumatic incident while deployed in Afghanistan left him struggling to cope. He waited to ask for support because he felt like he didn't deserve help, something he says he regrets. But since visiting Harcombe House, he's happier and healthier than he has been in years. 
Gary: “For the first time in a long time I thought things could get better.”
Danny: “Being at Harcombe changed everything for me”
James: “My story is not unique. But we don’t talk enough.”
Cathy: “Coming here means you don’t feel so alone”
Mark: “I shouldn’t have waited until I was burnt out before contacting you”
