Celebration at anniversary of fire station

More than 800 people visited the station on Saturday for a string of activities laid on to mark the special occasion.

The day started with a procession of vehicles through Whittlesey town centre, while the fun at the station in Cemetery Road included ‘dunk the firefighter’, a bouncy castle, barbecue, ice cream and a tombola.

Crews also ran several live demonstrations, including a rescue from the smokehouse.

On-call firefighter Mark Rogers, who organised the event, said: “We have been overwhelmed by the fantastic support shown by the people and local businesses of Whittlesey. The entire team here would like to say a massive thank you and we hope to see you at our next open day at some point in the near future.”

One of the most popular attractions of the day was the blue light simulator, where visitors sat in the back of a fire engine to experience riding to a call out with a video complete with radio commentary and blue lights.

Station commander Giles Grainger described Saturday as “an absolutely fantastic day.”

He added: “I am truly humbled by the success of the event and I am really proud of the team at Whittlesey Fire Station for all their hard work and efforts in organising and running such a successful event.

“A special thank you also goes out to the family members who were instrumental in the successful running of the event.

“This station, and the community of Whittlesey, means so much to all of them and to see so many people turn out to support the event was well worth all the effort.”

The £1,800 raised will be shared between The Fire Fighters Charity and Magpas Air Ambulance

The celebrations will continue later in the year with a special mural commissioned for a wall on the side of the station.