Chichester Fire Station 'win a crew' competition awarded to youth group - 'thank you from the bottom of our hearts'

Firefighters at Chichester Fire Station offered their services for free to support a community group in need this summer.

On their announcement of the competition, the Chichester Red Watch crew said they were ‘keen to hear from any community organisations in the district who might need some extra support to complete a project’.

The project could range from decorating a community space, carrying out repairs to a community asset, and even bringing a tired-looking garden back into use.

Anton Mezzone, Station Manager at Chichester Fire Station had said: “As part of our work within the city and wider district we work really closely with a number of different community organisations, providing fire safety advice and carrying out vital fire prevention work.

"Through this work we know there are a lot of community groups, charities and local organisations that have some great ideas to improve their communities for people living and working in those communities, but they may not have the resources to carry these works out.

"We are really keen to hear from anyone within the district who may have hit a brick wall with a project and are in need of some free labour.

“As part of the work we would also be carrying out some key fire safety work, whether that’s advising on the correct use of smoke and gas alarms in a building, or providing advice on minimising the risk of deliberate fire setting in the future.”

The competition was open to community groups and charities. Those who wanted to pitch their ideas to the crew for consideration, submitted a 250-word brief setting out their project and how the crew can support.

On Friday, August 23, it was revealed that the Chichester Boys Club had won the prize.

Reacting to the news, a spokesperson for the Boys Club wrote: “Thank you for your support and belief in our amazing charity. We look forward to receiving the members chosen colour to paint our amazing hall which is the original part of the building and over 100 years old.

"This project is a tribute to the community past, present and future… Chichester Fire Station thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”