2021 update!:

Since I was last pushing out this page to all you lovely people the entire world has stopped changed and hopefully now in a state of recovery and this has now put this challenge well and truly back on track! Just like the world things have changed for me too. I mentioned the goal of becoming a wholetime fire fighter... well that happened! I started working as a firefighter for Norfolk fire and rescue service back in Feb, which is literally the best job in the world! I get to help people on a daily basis and have formed some great friendships and made some awesome memories already. I built a campervan up to live in whilst in Norfolk as I am still living in Nottingham. This means I still help with my awesome youth group giving them a opportunity to get connected to nature. 

Things have been getting better. However I have unfinished business. This mountain is becoming the final part of the puzzle and road to recovery. If I can tackle this mountain I can tackle anything that's thrown at me! 

So, on that note I am back trying to shake the virtual bucket for anyone to donate either for the first time or again to help support this amazing charity!

The firefighter's charity never stopped supporting fire service personal the entire way through the pandemic however a lot of the funding streams did! 

Not a day goes by where I don't think about what happened on that horrendous day, but I keep referring to and building on the words, advice, and treatment I received from this incredible charity, using that as my foundations to help me rebuild my world and it's going well so far. 

If you can donate and help me conquer this challenge I will be for ever humbled and my target is not that far away! 

lets do this! Did  mention I have 15 days till I go! 

Below is my original story and reasoning behind me taking on this challenge, hope it gives you an understanding to why i am doing this! 

much love and thanks

Jamie 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Hi Everyone

Thank you for visiting my fundraising page, if you don’t know who I am, I am Jamie, I spend most my days working part time for my local wildlife trust championing and developing the next generation of wildlife enthusiast. I can also be found working for Greenfields Countryside, a brilliant family ran Land management company.  The rest of the time I am on call for a water search and rescue voluntary team as one of their swift water rescue technicians, the team are on a national asset list that respond to national flooding and support all emergency services. When I am not doing that, I am doing what I really enjoy my job and training as a CCO for Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue, with the hope I can move to retained sometime soon, with the overall goal of wholetime.

As you might be able to tell I keep myself busy and I love to help people, i never think twice to lend a hand to those in need or an ear to listen to those that need to talk. However, in 2019 my entire world was turned upside down …

I was involved in a terrible car accident. this accident despite my
first aid efforts whilst struggling with my own injuries and the use of CPR sadly resulted in the loss of life 27 mins on the scene, after the ambulance/ helicopter arrived. As you can imagine this was truly devastating for all involved.

I took this loss very personally and blamed myself terribly for something that wasn’t my fault and my ability to function in my day to day activities disappeared and at moments I felt like I didn't belong here anymore. I wanted to run away where nobody knew me start again, I felt like I didn't want or deserve my family my friends, all who showed me nothing but compassion and kindness. I reached out for help through my doctor who was Incredible but all the helpline numbers she suggested involved long answer machine messages or a standardized set of questions before you could even talk to a human!  None of which helped because as much as I felt like I didn't belong here, I wasn't suicidal. This is a pact I made from what I saw growing up, I could never cause that pain and misery to my family and friends if I just gave up and committed suicide. This answer in the helpline check boxes resulted in me not being classed as high risk and in need of immediate help / care. Back of the line for you sir!

Feeling lost, completely withdrawn and bearing the heavy weight of guilt and shame on my shoulders a friend of mine said call this number, this number rang once and I was speaking to a member of the firefighter’s charity. He took details and spoke to me like a human; he listened and said we can help. there was no robot questions and tick sheets over the phone. Within 10 days of the first phone call, I was very anxious and a little teary heading down on the train to Harcombe House in Devon, a residential centre for the firefighter’s charity. I arrived attended the induction and then hid, shutting the world as everything was so overwhelming, a strange place, all alone it was so intimidating even the accommodation made me feel so small like I didn’t belong. The following morning, I reported to the gym after breakfast and that’s where I met Dave, everybody needs to know Dave, a psychologist by trade but a pretty decent human being by nature. Within an hour  Dave and I were talking and most importantly someone who just knew was listening. Throughout the stay I could talk to Dave and take part in the variety of classes on different subjects ranging from self-care, sleep,guilt and shame, hydrotherapy, tai chi, and during this time I got to slowly integrate and talk to like-minded people from all over the country that were here for mental and physical rehabilitation. I still keep in touch with these amazing people to this day, that how much we all connected.  During my first session with Dave we both came to the conclusion that with how raw my emotions are at that moment in time Harcombe wasn’t going to send me home all cured but what the residential stay did, was show me the tools that I have already to start processing and healing myself. This place put some lights back on inside my head in what felt like a very dark world, the way I described it was like waiting for a train after the station had closed, there was all these tracks and platforms with screens that represented the hustle and bustle of my day to day life but after that horrendous accident happened it all suddenly changed and it was like there would never be another train again. By the time I left Harcome house someone had turned the lights on and opened a few of the locked gates and gave me the knowledge and reassurance that a train would be into station soon. And more importantly I had grown in confidence that my accommodation was just the right size.  

If you have read this far, I commend you for keeping with it, so

To sum up- I am raising money for this incredible charity that quite literally saved my life. I want other people that are struggling to be able to seek help in whichever way they can should they need it and for all the firefighting families and friends out there you have access to all this  incredible help, I want to be able to do something for this amazing charity so they can continue to help whoever they can.

So I decided I needed to raise money doing something way out of my comfort zone - I somehow agreed to take on the Challenge of Morocco’s Mount Toubkal, the Atlas Mountains tallest peak. In June! I know Morocco in June for those that know me, you all know I don’t do well in hot weather! It’s also my birthday whilst I am over there so for anyone that wants to get me something for my 30+1 birthday, please donate to incredible charity instead.

Please donate what you can and I thank you for your support and for reading my story!