Shropshire fire crews have smashed their fundraising target for the year by collecting £17,000 in a series of charity events.
They had aimed to raised £9,600 for the Fire Fighters’ Charity over the past 12 months but raised the bar to get an extra £7,400.
Charity Service co-ordinator Ashley Brown praised the fundraising enthusiasm from firefighting colleagues at Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service.
“It has been a fantastic year for both fundraising for the Fire Fighters Charity as well as raising the profile of the services on offer to all members.
“I want to give a massive thank you and well done to everyone involved for all their help and assistance over the past 12 months.“
Off duty firefighters from across the county launched numerous car washes, donated old clothes to textile recycling centres set up at fire stations and ran their own fundraisers.
A total of 19 car washes raised more than £3,000, textile banks at 17 fire stations amassed 28,430kgs of textile for recycling leading to a £6,254 profit while “shop in a box” merchandise sold at county fetes collected £1,000. Individuals raised more with marathons and other charity events.
Textile banks were “a great success,” said Ashley who praised Newport Fire Station for being the top recyclers from throughout the county’s 23 fire stations.
Bridgnorth Fire Station were the overall champion charity raisers for the year with £3,867.47 and winners of the Dave Bishton Challenge Shield for 2015-16, an award donated by a former firefighter to the Shropshire fire station raising the most money for charity.
Other top fire stations collected: £2,324.26 (Church Stretton); £1,249.20 (Wellington); £1,192.16 (Shrewsbury fire HQ); £1,150 (Clun).
The Fire Fighters Charity gives respite, recuperation and rehabilitation to sick or injured firefighters and their families.
The charity needs more than £8 million to run national centres around the country. Set up in 1943 to help wounded firefighters and support their families during Word War 2, it is entirely self funding and relies on the goodwill and generosity of donations from members of the public.
The services which the charity offer are open to all serving operational fire fighters, Fire Control, support staff as well as those who are retired.
