About the Firefighters Charity and Marine Court
The garden at Marine Court
On Wednesday evenings, we are now going to be holding our Spanish classes at the Firefighters Charity building in Littlehampton, Marine Court.
Like many, I had previously assumed this modern looking building was a residential building for retired firefighters. I couldn’t have been more wrong!
This is a vibrant, dynamic place where the charity offers weekly residential breaks to fire fighters and former fire fighters. It homes a gym, swimming pool, prayer room/quiet room and bar and private courtyard garden for residents, as well as having therapists and nursing staff on hand to help both their temporary residents and their families. (Families are so often forgotten when a family member works in the services - it’s fantastic to hear that this is being offered.)
Serving in the fire service takes a toll – sometimes immediately, sometimes in the future. The charity aims to offer timely, tailored and independent care and support. Whether people are dealing with illness, injury, mental health challenges, long-term illness, or are simply seeking guidance, the Fire Fighter’s Charity is there to help them. This building is part of that package. (There are two other centres.)
The set up is so successful that sometimes other frontline services hire pass their own service personnel through it as swell.
It gives me a feelgood feeling that the money I’m spending on venues is going to such a great cause. I was shown around by fantastic people who are enthusiastic and proud of the services offered and the buidling was clean and orderly. I’d perhaps expect this of firefighters, whose lives often depend on the predictablity of things being in the right place and in working order, but seeing it here gives the place a really positive, upbeat feel.
I’m pleased they’ve found a room for us at the front of the building, not too far from the entrance, and can’t wait to get started.
The charity’s history
The Second World War saw a recorded loss of 1,027 fire fighters across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Fire Fighters Charity was born out of that devastating loss, specialising in healthcare and wellbeing support for the fire services community.
Today, operating nationally, the charity is a national healthcare provider, working with all 52 Fire and Rescue Services in the UK, It is an independent organisation relying on predominantly voluntary funding.
Why I chose to use their facilities
Having had a real struggle to find reliable spaces at a reasonable price in Littlehampton (there’s a limit to what people want to pay for their classes, and our class sizes are small), I was so relieved to find a friendly, clean, well run space in a central location. It’s the sort of places businesses could happily hold meetings, so I’m hoping my little teaching business will be happy here!
(I hope I’m not jinxing it by saying this.)
Although very slightly more expensive than some of the other spaces in Littlehampton, I think it’s worth the little extra given the work that they do, and hope my class will appreciate it too.
To join ‘Classes with Claire’ Spanish classes at Marine Court, follow this link: Wednesday evening Littlehampton
