Buckets of thanks from South Shields firefighters after success of charity car wash

It was all hands to the pump as firefighters became a clean team for the day.
Red Watch were joined by Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service cadets for the event.Red Watch were joined by Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service cadets for the event.
Red Watch were joined by Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service cadets for the event.

South Shields Community Fire Station hosted a car wash as officers raised funds for the Fire Fighters’ Charity.

The event, led by Red Watch, was backed by Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service’s cadets, with 161 vehicles left gleaming after visiting Saturday’s session.

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The £803 raised will support serving and retired firefighters.

Watch manager Eddie Cooper said: “The cadets were a massive helped and we had a couple of fire calls during the car wash and they held the fort until we came back.

“There was a queue around the corner and they grafted well.

“There’s a big drive by the fire service and my sister Sam Nicholson, the brigade photographer, has a new role where she’s responsible for the sports and social committee and there’s a push for every station to hold a car wash and the one that raises the most will get recognised - there’s only one station left to go.

“It’s really important we support the Firefighters’ Charity because at some point during your career you’ll need rehabilitation.

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“There’s a place near Penrith, where they can help you with physio, relax and deal with the trauma, mentally and physically, that you pick up during your 30 years in service .

“We have to give a special shout out to Nick Armstrong, a probationer firefighter, and to sign him off on his training, he has to work with the community and so we delegated this to him at short notice and he did a great job, it was a big effort.

“He put up signs along John Reid Road to let people know and got the cadets involved.

“We also want to say thank you to the public, people were great and they wanted to come along and support us, which is really amazing.”

More about the charity can be found via www.firefighterscharity.org.uk/.