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 20 years in the fire service, Ian Richards says he was burnt out. But time spent with The Fire Fighters Charity helped him find the strength within himself to realise a life-long dream. And now he spends his days enjoying the peace and serenity of a small plot of land in the south of France. Martin Chester couldn't walk when he got in touch with us. However, he went on to walk or cross train 10km every day for a month to raise funds for us and say thanks for the ongoing support he has received. Wife to a Scottish Volunteer Watch Manager, Bunty Macdonald has spent 30 years caring full-time for her son, who has a life-limiting form of epilepsy. But she doesn't let things get her down, preferring to approach each day with love and laughter. Retired Lancashire Firefighter Les Monkman is one of several Brits who have found themselves stranded abroad during the coronavirus lockdown. A Type I Diabetic, Les was running out of life-saving insulin and shared his story with the BBC, which is how we heard about his plight and reached out an offer of help. Sherron Razey had resigned herself to a life living in pain after an operation eight years ago. But time spent at Harcombe House changed her mind, which in turn changed her life.
Ian: “You helped me find the bravery to change my life”
Martin: “I hoped I’d never need your help, but thank goodness you were there”
Bunty: “I don’t think of myself as his carer, I think of myself as his mum”
Les: “You’ve made me feel like I haven’t been forgotten”
Sherron: “I can’t believe the difference in me. I’m up and flying again”
