Who We Support

Paramedics

Police

Fire

Army

Navy

Airforce

Who we support

The people who make up our Emergency Services and Armed Forces allow us to live our lives without worry. Everyday tens of thousands of people protect us, care for us and support us. We don’t even think about them unless something happens, someone falls ill or has an accident, to name just a few.

Everyone in this line of work deals with traumatic situations day in, day out. Some cope, others don’t. Many suffer the most stress on their return to civilian life.

The charity FirstLight Trust provides a different kind of support network for them. They supported us, we should support them.

A rocky return to ‘normal life’

We realised that on leaving the services, many found it difficult to readjust to so-called ‘normal life’. A lot of the time they would not accept help for fear of seeming weak. Some felt what they had witnessed would be better off held internally. Unfortunately such coping mechanisms can lead to self destruction.

The power of community

We could see typical methods of rehabilitation weren’t working, so we looked for an alternative. This alternative came in the form of local community.

FirstLight Trust harnesses the power of local community to start the mending and healing process. We also use it as an ongoing support network. This helps those who have protected and looked after us for so long. It also helps rebuild local communities which have been forgotten.

Local hubs

Our Café Hubs are at the heart of what we do, creating meeting places across the UK. Here the public and veterans enjoy each other’s company and learn to talk and trust. Any former member of the Armed Forces and Emergency Services can also get practical and confidential help.