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.
Self-employed carpenter Michelle Jones-Cheung reached breaking point when long-term recovery from surgery left her facing potential bankruptcy. As the daughter of a firefighter and brought up not to talk about her feelings, it took a breakdown during a visit to Harcombe House to make her realise it's okay to be honest with others and with yourself. Former London Fire Brigade firefighter Ernie Marshall sought physical support from Harcombe House for a shoulder injury he sustained on a skiing holiday, after being told he had advanced prostate cancer. Now he says he just wants to improve his fitness for whatever time he has left. When doctors couldn't work out what was causing his pain, Peter Allen turned to The Fire Fighters Charity. A sneaking suspicion from one of our physios led to him having life-changing surgery, and learning to adjust to the future he is now faced with. Receiving a diagnosis of scoliosis - a chronic pain condition - not long after her 17th birthday, Jade Turner turned to The Fire Fighters Charity to help her find ways to cope both physically and psychologically. Now the firefighter's daughter wants other young women to realise that when it comes to our bodies, there is no such thing as normal. Firefighter and photojournalist Dan Homewood is on a mission to document daily life in the fire and rescue service, and the impact it can have on mental health.
Michelle: “I realised it’s okay to be honest about your feelings”
Ernie: “Never give up, that’s what I say.”
Peter: “The staff at Jubilee House saved me.”
Jade: “Learning to love myself and live with chronic pain”
Dan: “I’d gotten used to living in anxiety every day”
