Visitors to fire station open days throughout this summer have raised thousands of pounds for charity.
West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service held open days at several of its fire stations, including Worthing, Bognor and Haywards Heath.
They have been hailed a huge success, with a phenomenal £18,649 raised across the eight events.
Firefighters wowed crowds with impressive displays, showing visitors what can happen to plastic when it is exposed to fire and a chip pan blaze.
Most of the money will go to The Fire Fighters Charity. The money raised from Worthing Fire Station’s open day – a record-breaking £12,600 - will be split evenly between Andy’s Angels, Worthing Veterans, Keep Me Breathing, and The Fire Fighters Charity.
READ MORE: Firefighters wow crowds with demonstrations at open day
Gary Ball, assistant chief fire officer for West Sussex, said: “The weather at our open days was a real mixed bag – we had people come along during the rain, scorching heat and overcast skies. While the weather didn’t always bless us, our local communities certainly did – thank you to every single person who came along and to everyone who kindly donated.
“The Fire Fighters Charity do so much to support our teams and the families and it is always a pleasure to be able to give back to the people who look after us so well.
“Here at West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, we love hosting open days and getting to meet the communities we serve. I hope those who attended enjoyed the events as much as we did.”
As well as live demonstrations, visitors could have a look inside fire engine displays and were taught important fire safety advice at events in Crawley, Shoreham, East Preston and East Grinstead.
The next event is a Halloween open evening at Petworth Fire Station. Families can visit the fire station from 3pm to 8pm on October 31 for an evening of fun, fire safety and to take a behind the scenes look at the station.
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