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Image caption: AF&RS Recruitment & Onboarding Advisor Abby Kenyon-Knibbs, Crew Manager Tim Cerrone and Firefighter Declan Coleman
Hundreds of people joined Avon Fire & Rescue Service (AF&RS) on Saturday, 3 October at Willbrook Shopping Centre in Bradley Stoke for a family fun day which raised an incredible £1,144 for Fire Aid.
Organised by Patchway Firefighter Declan Coleman alongside Willowbrook Shopping Centre, crews from Temple, Southmead and Patchway Red Watch gave those in attendance a tour of the fire engines and turntable ladder, plus an insight into some of the lifesaving equipment used at incidents. Visitors were also able to enjoy balloon modelling, face painting, circus tricks and other family friendly activities.
Firefighter Declan Coleman said: “Thank you to everyone who joined us at our firefighter family fun day. It was great turnout and we’re so grateful to everyone who donated to a cause that’s close to mine and many of my fellow firefighters’ hearts. Your generosity will make such a difference to the fantastic work by Fire Aid.”
Sophie St Leger, Marketing Manager at Willowbrook Shopping Centre, said: “We had such a fantastic day, and I am absolutely blown away by the turnout and the incredible amount of money raised. At Willow Brook, we love creating opportunities for our community to come together, and it is even more rewarding when we can support such a worthy cause at the same time.
“It was an absolute pleasure working with Avon Fire & Rescue Service. I was amazed by how brilliant and engaging the firefighters were with all the children throughout the day. They dedicated so much of their time to ensuring every child had a memorable experience and truly lived up to the expectations of meeting a real-life hero. Their enthusiasm and commitment helped make the event a huge success.”
Fire Aid is charity dedicated to saving lives and strengthening communities by providing fire and rescue services worldwide with necessary equipment, training, and expertise.
Over the years, AF&RS has worked closely with Fire Aid in delivering life-saving equipment to countries that need it the most. Earlier this year, firefighters Lee Ralph and Declan Coleman, and Crew Manager Tim Cerrone, delivered lifesaving firefighting equipment to Ukraine which will go towards helping their response to forest fires.
In August 2025, two fire engines, along with personal protective equipment, hydraulic cutting tools, water rescue gear and road traffic collision equipment, were formally handed over to the Odesa City Department of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine by a team from AF&RS. All of the donated equipment came from AF&RS’s retiring fleet and surplus stock that could no longer be used by the Service.
You can donate to Fire Aid via Firefighter Declan Coleman’s JustGiving page.
Visit the Fire Aid website to find out more about the work the charity do.