Letter to all our beneficiaries and supporters
Friday 24 April, 2020
COVID-19 update
I hope that you are keeping well and safe as we continue to face this challenging time together. As you are no doubt aware the situation remains unchanged, with the lockdown period extended to the early May bank-holiday. I and my SLT colleagues are keeping a watchful eye on the situation, monitoring Government messages regarding next steps. At this time, as you will appreciate, I have no answer for you about when or how this will play out for us, our centres and our services for beneficiaries. However, I have been delighted to see how well our Services teams have adapted to the restrictions and am proud of how hard they have worked to ensure that we can continue to operate some form of service, embracing technology to do so and producing some fantastic resources for the fire community at this time. Please do take a look at the Coronavirus Support Hub to see these for yourself.
I remind you as well that we are still open for business, the 0800 389 8820 access line is taking calls. Callers will speak with a practitioner who will be able to offer advice and support from the following services:
- For those seeking mental health support:
- Access to the SHOUT helpline for those in crisis. We will, where appropriate signpost to other organisations for support.
- Regularly updated advice and information via our website, including articles, interviews and multimedia content offering support with issues such as anxiety and stress during periods of social isolation and distancing.
- For those seeking physical health support:
- A telephone or remote consultation, advice and exercise prescription via digital exercise programme
- Regularly updated advice and information via our website, including articles, interviews and multimedia content offering support with issues such as maintaining your physical fitness during periods of social isolation and distancing.
- For those seeking welfare support:
- Contact with a welfare case worker, appropriate assessment and solution development
- Regularly updated advice and information via our website, including articles, interviews and multimedia content, including a reference library for relevant online information regarding coronavirus and its implications, from our recommended and trusted sources.
- For those seeking social contact:
- Referral to the Communities Development Lead who is establishing a contact support system
Please note:
- Currently we are not able to take applications for residential services.
- Our Customer Care team are responding to general calls and enquiries via our Head Office telephone number 01256 366566 or via email customercare@firefighterscharity.org.uk
- We will, as always, seek to provide the tailored support that you need, when you need it.
As already mentioned above, I would also draw your attention to the Coronavirus Support Hub, which provides a variety of useful resources including a relaxation trip around the grounds of Harcombe House, exercises you can do from your chair and many other useful pieces of information and support.
The hub also provides a link to the Fire Family Challenge. If you haven’t already done so, you may wish to look at some of the ideas to support your own and your family’s wellbeing, and of course raise a little money for the Charity.
As we progress through this time, I will keep you informed of next steps for your Charity – even if it is to share with you that we still don’t know what they might be.
Please keep safe and well,
Kind regards
Jill Tolfrey CEO.
