The Friends of Serve and Protect Community Fund provides workplace support for emergency services workers, and has now sponsored a Kickstart Programme with The Fire Fighters Charity. The grant funded initiatives ranging from a five-day residential initiative, designed to support the physical and mental wellbeing of fire service personnel to a Firefighter Experience Day which offers members of the public a glimpse into life in the fire service.
Building mental and physical fitness
The Kickstart Programme is a key initiative by the Firefighters Charity to improve the wellbeing of those on the frontline. Firefighting is a demanding career – mentally as much as physically. The psychological weight of emergency response can lead to staff feeling burnt out, stressed, or dealing with long-term injuries.
Debbie Rushbrooke is the Corporate Partnerships Manager at The Fire Fighters Charity. She explained the impact this funding has on addressing these challenges: “Contributions like this really are a lifeline, enabling us to continue providing timely care and support to members of our fire services community – during and after service – so they can recover, stay strong, and navigate whatever comes next.”
Resting, recharging, and resetting
The comprehensive five-day residential experience is held at the Charity’s three specialist centres across the Lake District, Devon, and Sussex. Participants receive tailored support with safe returns to working fitness, diet and nutrition, building healthy routines, and reducing the risk of long-term health conditions.
The Fire Fighters Charity exists to ensure that no member of their community has to face challenges alone. Its staff work to give fire personnel the physical and mental health care required to thrive both in and out of work. Initiatives like the Kickstart Programme are just one of the ways they care for our heroes. This, in turn, helps the UK fire service continue to care for our nation.
To truly understand the pressure placed on firefighters, staff from Serve and Protect even took part in a Firefighter Experience Day this summer! They donned full fire kits and breathing apparatus, and even tried training drills.
A focus on financial resilience
Serve and Protect Credit Union has a more than half a decade of experience working with the fire service. Alongside physical and mental wellbeing, the credit union explores ways to improve financial resilience and tackle vulnerability within the sector. By working with HR teams to provide payroll-deducted savings, fire service personnel can build healthy savings habits and, ultimately, their financial resilience. The ethical, accessible loans also offer staff a place to turn in the event of financial emergencies.
About the Friends of Serve and Protect Community Fund
Friends of Serve and Protect is an incorporated association established for the benefit of individuals, organisations and communities served by Serve and Protect Credit Union. Funded by the Friends of Serve and Protect Lottery, Reg No – 4866, the Community Fund was established in 2024 to provide funding for projects and initiatives that support the greater community good of those who Serve and Protect. From wellbeing spaces to helping injured keyworkers through rehabilitation, the Community Fund helps make a difference to those who need it.
Funding is open to Serve and Protect members and must be for the direct benefit of the Serve and Protect community. For more information, click here.
