Community shows support for firefighters

The money was raised after an estimated 500 people attended the open day.

Donations will be used to support the fire service's charity which assists serving as well as retired fire fighters and their families in their times of need.

Station manager, Steve Jenkins, said: '˜The money will be used to support fire fighters who may have been left with physical injuries or mental health problems from their service.'

Money was raised from a series of events including stalls, face painting and fairground rides. 

The most successful fund-raiser was the '˜dunk the fireman' competition which involved kicking a football onto a target to submerge the '˜on duty' crew member into a tank of water.

Public services students from Highbury College were involved in supporting the event.

Lecturer and station volunteer, Karen Wood, said: '˜The fire service is vital for the local community and so the students wanted to support the event. Last year they raised £280 and so this year we were given a bigger stall with the target of £400.'

In addition to raising money a key aim of the open day was to '˜build a relationship' with the local community. 

'˜The open day is all about the community coming to visit us and getting the opportunity to interact with the fire service,' added Steve.