Fenland firefighters scoop national recycling award for second year

28/03/2023

Firefighters have thanked their local community after scooping a national charity recycling award.  

The crew from Chatteris Fire Station won The Fire Fighters Charity Bag It and Bank It competition, which sees stations around the country compete to see who can donate the most textiles through their yellow clothing banks. The competition ran throughout the month of January, with more than 900 stations across the country taking part. 

Locals donated more than four tonnes of clothing, generating an impressive £1,040 for the charity. 

Firefighter Jack James, the station’s charity rep, said: “We would like to thank the local community for their generosity and support. We see people almost every day donating their unwanted clothing, so much so that the bins are emptied multiple times per week.  

“The support the charity provides is vital for firefighters, and their families, across the UK, with the demand for their services continuing to grow. We really appreciate the support from our community, so thank you very much.” 

The crew was presented with their award by representatives from The Fire Fighters Charity at their drill night.  

Kevin Biles, Sales Manager for the charity, said: “Our supporters have gone above and beyond over the last few weeks to once again reach record-breaking success in our Bag it and Bank it Recycling Championship. We’re incredibly grateful to each and every one of them. 

“Every year I’m amazed at the dedication and commitment shown by fire stations and their local communities – and to raise such a fantastic amount this year shows just how much of a difference your recycling is making. Thanks to you, these funds will ensure we can continue to offer our life-changing support to fire service personnel and their families in the years ahead.” 

Across all fire stations in the UK, more than 400 tonnes of clothing was donated, raising £89,000 for the charity, which is currently celebrating 80 years of providing support and rehabilitation to both serving and retired members of fire and rescue staff and their families. 

Chatteris Fire Station is one of 20 stations in Cambridgeshire that is crewed solely by on-call firefighters. On-call firefighters are not based at a fire station, they will often have other jobs, or family commitments and carry a pager and respond to emergency incidents as and when they happen. When they are on-call they may be at home, working for themselves or for a nearby company, or out in their local community (staying within a five-minute travel time of the fire station). 

We are always looking to recruit on-call firefighters, so if you are interested in finding out more, visit our careers section.