Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service Newsdesk

at 28/03/2009 18:00

On Sunday, 29th March 2009, The Fire Fighters Charity, supported by Cornwall County Fire Brigade is once again holding its Ladies Driving Challenge at RAF Portreath, Redruth, from 9am until 6pm.

The Ladies Driving Challenge, held last year for the first time, gives women who have pre registered the chance to drive a once-in-a-lifetime variety of large and unusual vehicles. Participants will be able to try their hand at manoeuvring a range of different vehicles including fire engines, police cars, ambulances, JCBs, articulated Lorries, buses, coaches and possibly even a tank, all kindly donated by local organisations.

Event organiser Mike Perraton says, “The Ladies Driving Challenge promises to be an exciting day, with a chance to drive a fantastic collection of vehicles. Other types of driving events can be uncomfortable and competitive with an emphasis on speed, which can be intimidating. The Ladies Driving Challenge is much more relaxed with the focus on handling vehicles with skill and enjoying new experiences, as well as raising money for a good cause – last year we raised almost £37,000 and hope to smash that target this year.”

Ken Yeo, Lib Dem Executive Member for Public Protection says, “Behind the fun, there is an opportunity to help fund The Fire Fighters Charity. This Charity supports our heroic firefighters who risk their lives for us. Every day they tackle incidents that involve the potential risk of serious injury. Despite rigorous training and top quality equipment, things can and do go wrong and when this happens it’s not only the firefighters who suffer, but also their families. The Fire Fighters Charity is the only charity dedicated to supporting firefighters and their families in times of need. I hope that lots of ladies will register for the event and raise lots of money to support this worthwhile cause.”

The day will also be an opportunity to meet local firefighters and for those who may be interested in a wholetime or retained career in the Fire Service in Cornwall, there will be the chance to try some of the practical elements of being a firefighter.

Related item: http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=43507