Release date: 22 November 2022
Next month West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service’s trainee firefighters will honour the longstanding tradition of attempting an ambitious challenge, all in the name of charity.
The 10 new recruits will be rowing 96,000 metres whilst wearing full fire kit, which is almost the equivalent of travelling between the English Channel and France three times.
The gruelling challenge pays honour to Queen Elizabeth II’s work as patron of The Fire Fighters Charity for over six decades with the trainee firefighters rowing 1,000 metres for every year of her life.
They will be completing the challenge on 2 December, raising money for The Fire Fighters Charity and Tommy’s with donations being split equally between the two charities.
The fundraiser comes as the recruits near the end of their 13-week initial training course, which will see them deployed to a number of different fire stations around the county upon completion.
Steve Buchanan-Lee, Group Manager for Development and Operational Training, said: “There is a longstanding tradition of trainee firefighters raising money for charity to mark their commitment to a career serving their communities.
“Each of the recruits is extremely determined, not only to complete the charity challenge, but to raise as much money as possible for two worthy causes in the process.”
If you would like to support our trainee firefighters and help to beat their £2,000 target, please visit the GoFundMe page to donate.