Retained firefighters at Partridge Green Fire Station will be turning their station into a drive through car wash this weekend as they raise funds for two causes close to their hearts.
Seeking the dirtiest cars around, the crew will be welcoming people to the station between 10am and 2pm on Saturday 7 August.
The event is in aid of The Fire Fighters Charity and Project Wingman, a charity set up by grounded aircrew in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic to support frontline workers. More than 6,500 airline staff have since become involved in the initiative, operating hospital based ‘First Class Lounges’ going into hospitals to provide staff with an inviting area to relax and seek well-being support.
This has recently been expanded into the operation of two mobile lounges which travel the country delivering well-being on wheels to even more locations. Wingman volunteers have served more than 2 million cups of tea and given the equivalent of 46 years of volunteering hours in its first year alone, and at a time when their own industry continues to face great uncertainty.
Steve Bridle, Retained Watch Manager at Partridge Green Fire Station said: “A lot of charities have really suffered during lockdown, with fundraising events cancelled left, right and centre. So for Project Wingman to even think about setting up a new charity to support those frontline workers within the NHS dealing with COVID-19 on a daily basis was no mean feat. But they have gone on to achieve so much over the last year or so, and I know their work makes a real difference to our colleagues in the NHS.
“We hope to raise plenty of funds to allow both Project Wingman and The Fire Fighters Charity to continue to deliver their fantastic programmes of support.
“It has been a while since we have been able to welcome people to our stations for our popular charity car washes, but I would like to reassure people that we will be wearing PPE and observing social distancing measures to ensure everyone stays safe while we raise funds for these two fantastic charities.”
Capt. Emma Henderson, CEO Project Wingman, said: ”Our charity has been received so much support from the team at West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service. For them to nominate Project Wingman to receive much needed funds to continue the well-being initiative of the charity is incredibly heart-warming and their generosity greatly appreciated by us all.”
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