Local Firefighters ‘Turned Up The Heat’ On Their Fundraising In Honour of Crew Commander’s Daughter

A group of Birmingham firefighters raised £5000 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, inspired by the personal story of one of their crew members and his daughter.

Simon Mahon, crew commander at Ward End Fire Station, was driven to make a difference by the experience of his 10-year-old daughter, Evie. Born with only one fully functioning kidney, Evie has been under the care of our hospital since her birth, and continues to receive ongoing treatment from our expert hospital staff. Her condition means that her single working kidney is likely to stop functioning at some point in the future, meaning she will eventually need dialysis and a kidney transplant.

Simon wanted to support our renal ward on behalf of Evie and other children like her, so he encouraged his crew at Ward End Fire Station to get stuck into fundraising. The crew held charity open days, car washes and bucket collections on behalf of our renal ward, helped by crews and staff from across West Midlands Fire Service. Thanks to these efforts and generous community donations, the team has managed to raise £5000 for the cause.

Evie herself has been enthusiastic about her dad’s fundraising, helping out with the car washes. Simon says she is proud to support what she calls ‘her hospital’.

He said: “Evie will eventually need full dialysis because her functioning kidney is overworking and is expected to one day stop working altogether.

“It’s an incredible feeling to be able to give back to the hospital. The support from the station and other crews from across the service has meant so much. If our fundraising can bring even a little happiness to the children, by investing in the ward and its facilities, then it makes everything worthwhile. It’s our way of saying ‘thank you’ for all their hard work, which has allowed Evie to live a normal and happy life for so many years.”

Annie Eytle, Head of Public Fundraising at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “Hearing Simon and Evie’s story and seeing how enthusiastic they are about supporting our charity means the absolute world to us. Evie will be cared for by us until she’s an adult, so the fact they want to say thank you in this way – and by supporting other kids – is truly heartwarming.

“We’re so thankful to Simon and Evie, the Ward End Fire Station crew and the West Midlands Fire Service for all their amazing fundraising. The money raised will help us improve experiences, equipment and environments for our renal patients.”