Christmas cancelled for Fire Service

Fire service leaders in Shropshire have cancelled a popular fundraising Christmas event as budget pressures loom for the organisation.

The Christmas celebration has been a fixture in the festive calendar at Shrewsbury Fire Station and involves the station opening its appliance bay for refreshments, followed by carols, a raffle and a guest appearance from Santa.

Donations and raffle proceeds from the event in December 2024 went to the Fire Fighters Charity and Midlands Air Ambulance.

But at a meeting at Telford Central Fire Station last week, members of the Shropshire and Wrekin Fire and Rescue Authority heard that this year’s event has been cancelled.

The service is planning to hold a Christmas event every other year instead.

Simon Hardiman, the chief fire officer, said: “Unfortunately this year we’ve made a decision to do it every other year.”

He said the decision has been made for financial reasons.

“I’m sure you’ll all understand that. It will give us an opportunity to re-look how we do that moving forward in a more cost-effective way, potentially off a fire station or in a local church or with a local group.”

The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands that the fire service is thinking of taking the Christmas celebration on the road with events taking place every other year in different locations around the county.

Fire authority members at the meeting were also told that leaders will prepare a report detailing the impact of possible changes to funding from central government.

Mr Hardiman said he had been lobbying local MPs about possible reductions in funding that could be announced in December.

Story: David Tooley – LDRS