The Barry Martin Foundation

The Barry Martin Foundation is a not for profit organisation which has been set up after the unexpected death of Barry Martin, a Scottish Firefighter and father of 2 young boys. It is based in Scotland, and has made connections all over the world since Barrys death.

Barry worked for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, where he served on Blue Watch at McDonald Road Fire Station in Edinburgh. On Monday 23rd January 2023, Barry and his colleagues were turned out to a fire at the former Jenners building in Edinburgh. The decision was made to deploy Barry and his colleagues into the empty building.

There were serious injuries sustained that day, physically, and emotionally. Barry died from the criticial injuries he sustained, on Friday 27th January 2023. He and his colleagues faced horrendous conditions within the building. Barrys colleagues, who formed the team he was in, sustained life changing injuries. We are in no doubt that all of them will carry the emotional scars for the rest of their lives.

For several months we have been launching projects in order to provide bereavement and mental health support to the community. Barrys Benches began with a single bench placed in a significant place in Scotland with a QR code placed on it. Members of the public can scan the code, and this leads them to a website. Here, the work we are doing is shared through a story, and there are several links to mental health and bereavement websites. We received so many powerful messages from the public when the first bench was placed, and we realised, that Barrys bench was saving the lives of other people. This drove us to launch this incredible project, and to keep placing benches all over Scotland. In 2025, we will travel to various significant parts of Scotland working with councils and private land owners, to identify suitable locations for Barrys benches. Currently, and in only the space of a few months and in the depths of grief, Barrys wife and sons have made progress on the placement of 5 benches. We expect this to almost double by the end of 2025, if not more. Barrys Benches is a not for profit community project, and is funded by donations and grants we receive.

'Barry the Brave', is our bereavement support project for young children who have lost a parent or carer. This was an idea by Barrys young sons who are keen writers. They are developing an experience that can be penned by children, through a journal led by them and their menagrie of animals. Oliver and Daniel are full of ideas, hints of support, and tips of guidance, to support their grieving peers. They know what it is like, and through words and pictures, they would like to help other children like them. It goes without saying, that we are incredibly proud of them both. They are busy working on several intiatives in their fathers memory, and to support children like them.

'Barry the Brave' will be available as a not for profit bereavement resource directly from us and from other bodies who we will provide supplies to. The project is funded from the donations and grants that we receive.

We are extremely busy working on some other projects, as well as fundraising events for the year ahead. We are under bereavement and trauma support, and have had an active police presence this year due to safeguarding issues and suggestions of intent to cause harm and distress. In this time, we are also in the middle of an active and high profile investigation which takes up a great deal of our strength, energy and attention. We are sure that it is understandable that we are quite exhausted, but unsurprisingly to those who have sat across a table from us, we will not be deterred for anything, or anyone.

'It doesn't matter if it is a high risk job, the Firefighter is no less entitled to the human right to life than you or I, and has the right for that life to be protected.'

Your donation will help us to deliver our community projects, bereavement and mental health support, and help us to achieve our not for profit objectives. It will support us to work with government and alongside other organisations, where we will campaign, fight for the rights of people who are killed at work, and provide support to the families who are left behind who seek answers.