Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service Newsdesk

at 15/06/2009 15:50

Three ladies with a sense of adventure and a talent for fundraising were rewarded for their efforts in raising over £400 each for the Fire Fighters Charity by becoming honorary firefighters for a day.

The three took part in the Ladies Driving Challenge hosted by Cornwall County Fire Brigade in March 2009 in aid of the Fire Fighters Charity at RAF Portreath, Redruth. The Ladies Driving Challenge gave women the chance to drive a once-in-a-lifetime variety of large and unusual vehicles. Participants were able to try their hand at manoeuvring a range of different vehicles including fire engines, police cars, ambulances, JCBs, articulated lorries, buses and coaches all kindly donated by local organisations.

As their reward for raising most sponsorship money through the Ladies Driving Challenge event, the three champion fundraisers, Emma Braunton from Helland who raised £520; Mandy Haley from Liskeard who raised over £530 and Karen Owen from Looe who raised just over £400 were invited to Bodmin Community Fire Station on Tuesday (9 June). The three were treated to a VIP tour of the facility and spent the day with the duty crew at Bodmin Fire Station doing operational training and getting an insight into a career in the fire service.

The Ladies Driving Challenge event raised £38,000 in aid of The Fire Fighters Charity which offers support to all fire service personnel and their families during times of need, by providing services such as therapy and recuperation facilities.

Mandy encourages other ladies to take part in the next Ladies Driving Challenge saying: ‘It was a brilliant day, well organised and very friendly. I recommend it to everyone”.

If you would like to join in the fun at next years Ladies Driving Challenge, the Brigade will be holding the event on Sunday, 21 March 2010 at Portreath and you can register now by visiting www.ladiesdrivingchallenge.co.uk or you can ring Mike Perraton on 07717 895424

For more information about the charity, visit the related item link below.

Related item: http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=7243