The Fire Fighters Charity has unveiled its Impact Report for 2020/21, which has been published to coincide with the organisation’s Annual General Meeting.

2021/22 saw the return of the Charity’s face-to-face services, with the introduction of new programmes and diversified digital solutions to meet the needs of its ‘fire family’ in the wake of the pandemic.

Introducing the Impact Report, Chief Executive Dr Jill Tolfrey said: “When we started the journey set by our 2020-2025 Strategic Plan, Covid was just beginning to take hold and the early part of 2021/22 saw us adapting to a changed world of social distancing and mask wearing.

“However, welcoming our workforce and beneficiaries back and being innovative in our delivery of services showed how fleet of foot we were in responding to need and in adapting to how we support our beneficiaries when circumstances change. This transformative approach to our ways of working continued throughout 2021/22 and continues today.”

The latest financial year saw the Charity further developing and diversifying its digital solutions to support people in need and to proactively support its whole fire family with accessible information and advice.

The Charity also launched its Reset Programme, Covid Recovery Programme, My Fire Fighters Charity app and more.

In early 2022, thh Charity celebrated a milestone cumulative income for clothes recycling, topping £5million – from 30,744 tonnes of clothing since 2009, and its Fire Family Fundraisers raised £348,594, including a team from Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service who cycled from Land’s End to John O’Groats.

Chair of the Board of Trustees, John Baines, wrote in the Report: “As I have reflected on the impact we had on the lives of so many people and the innovative ways we delivered that support, particularly in the wake of the pandemic, I have been once again reminded of our Charity’s incredible ability to overcome challenges.”

He added: “The Charity’s fleet-of-foot ability to meet the needs of the fire community has been an ever-present hallmark of the way we have supported people over the last 79 years. The Queen, in a letter to our then Chair in June 2002, stated that we were an ‘outstanding charity.’ As we look towards our 80th anniversary in 2023, I think this statement is as true as ever.

“In the years ahead I have every confidence that we will continue to reach out and deliver first class services to more people across our beneficiary base and explore every avenue possible to secure the income we need to do so. Your support, as ever, is central to our ambitions for the years ahead. Thank you.”

Read the Impact Report in full here.