Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service (MAWWFRS) recently received a Certificate of Appreciation from The Fire Fighters Charity for its efforts in raising £95,080.33 for the charity in 2020/2021.
The Fire Fighters Charity supports the mental, physical and social needs of all serving and retired members of the UK’s fire family. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in the cancellation of traditional fundraising events, which in turn has caused a significant decrease in the charity’s fundraising income.
Deputy Chief Fire Officer Roger Thomas said: ‘Following the Fire Fighters Charity’s urgent appeal in the summer of 2020, I am proud to say that, many members of our staff stepped up and answered the call.
‘I have been humbled by the efforts of our wholetime and on-call firefighters, control room and support staff, and not forgetting many of their family members, for raising such a fantastic amount of money for the charity, which serves an important role in supporting our workforce.’
Dr Jill Tolfrey, Chief Executive of the Fire Fighters Charity, expressed her thanks to the Service for its support over the past year: ‘Choosing to give to charity when times are hard is never easy, so we were heartened by the incredible response to our Urgent Appeal in summer 2020. We were able to increase the number of regular donors and offset some of the unrealised income from cancelled events. The support of your employees has been central to this.
‘Many of your people, meanwhile, also embraced our Fire Family Challenge fundraising campaign, finding innovative ways to raise money during lockdown. This once again showed the incredible ingenuity and determination that exists across the fire services community to support those of its members in need. It also showed just how creative people can be within the confines of their homes, gardens, stations and offices!’
