This Christmas, teams across London Fire Brigade have been getting involved in their local communities and spreading festive joy.
Several fire stations collected gifts to deliver to children spending Christmas in hospital. On Christmas Day, Chelsea Fire Station’s Green Watch visited Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospital and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital to deliver presents and spend some of the day with the children. So far, they have raised £1630 for Chelsea Children’s Wards.
East Greenwich Green Watch also made a special Christmas Day visit. They visited the Safari Ward at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and raised £500 for presents for children there over Christmas.
A week earlier, Lambeth Red Watch visited Evelina London Children’s Hospital to give out presents that have been donated to the patients.
Station Officer Adam Hills, from Lambeth Fire Station, said: “We knew that lots of the children in our Borough who were ill over Christmas would go to Evelina Children’s Hospital at St Thomas’ and wanted to do something to help them. We collected donations from our colleagues at Lambeth and from local businesses. To make the day special for the children, we dressed the fire engine up as a grotto and went as Elves and Santa to give out the gifts.”
Similarly, Peckham’s firefighters have been raising funds for gifts for the children in Southwark's Refuge Charity shelters on Christmas Day. Gifts were donated by Sainsbury's on Dog Kennel Hill in Dulwich.
Station Officer Steve Border from the Brigade’s Positive Improvement Team coordinated an appeal with Children’s Hospital Pyjamas, a charity that the Brigade has been supporting since 2019.
Station Officer Steve Border said: “I became involved with Children’s Hospital Pyjamas after my stepdaughter, who also had childhood leukaemia, told me about it. I donated a pair of pyjamas to the charity, but noticed they had no storage other than a space in someone’s front room – the family running the charity couldn’t enjoy their own Christmas because they were so busy helping others.
“I wanted to make a difference, so offered storage at a fire station for the campaign. We wanted to help a child and their family smile when they are going through their worst nightmare at Christmas – a simple thing like a nice pair of pyjamas can help make a sick child feel more comfortable.”
The team have collected over 200 pyjamas. Forest Hill Fire Station worked as a central hub and were assisted by the Brigade’s four area teams based in Stratford, Lewisham, Wembley, and Hammersmith.
Station Officer Paul Anstey, along with the crews at Brixton Fire Station, coordinated an appeal with Kings College Children’s Hospital, collecting gifts to deliver to children spending Christmas in hospital. Paul, along with Brixton Blue Watch, collected and delivered over 100 presents.
Paul also coordinated the Brigade’s involvement with Wrap Up London, a campaign to collect and provide warm winter coats for those in need over Christmas.
Paul said: “When we first did this campaign four years ago, we only had one station involved. This year, we had 13 stations taking part and we collected over 3500 coats for adults, children, and pets. The cold weather over Christmas can have a devastating effect, so we’re delighted to have been able to help keep those who are vulnerable warm and be present in our local communities at the same time.”
Bexley Borough also ran their toy campaign for a tenth year, collecting 3000 presents in liaison with Bexley Council. The presents were distributed to children who are looked after, in care, or part of vulnerable families. Leftover presents were donated by Bexley Borough to Solace and Women’s Aid.
Firefighters from Park Royal Station have been involved with their local food bank in Brent. Daniel Healy is a local business owner and a friend of Sub Officer John Stroker. Every year, Daniel donates the worth of £10,000 to John at Park Royal to collect essential items for Brent Food Bank.
John said: “Daniel is so generous and we’re always looking for ways to help those who are vulnerable in our community. By acting as a middleman between Daniel and Brent Food Bank, we hope to make life easier for those who might otherwise go without this Christmas. We also want to make sure that when the food bank is likely to be emptier, in the New Year, that we donate again to support our community all year round.”
Since 2019, Park Royal have made food bank donations on Daniel’s behalf worth over £40,000.
Elsewhere, firefighters have welcomed community groups into fire stations to celebrate during the holidays. Acton Fire Station hosted a Christmas party for the elderly. This year, the Fire Cadets helped to bake, serve food and drinks and to chat with the visitors. Over 50 people attended the party, which was organised by Sub Officer Kim Jerray-Silver. The day included a Christmas quiz and raffle, and a local choir sang Christmas songs.
Kim, who has organised 13 tea parties at Acton, said: “When we carry out Home Fire Safety Visits for older people, we meet lots who are very lonely, so I wanted to help. I contacted Ealing Community Transport, who help transport people who need some extra help to their hospital visits. They provided us with two drivers and minibuses, making it much easier for guests to join us.
“We ring each person, invite them to a party, and arrange their transport. We’ve now got support from Age Concern too, meaning we can reach more people than before. It’s great to know we’re helping older people feel more connected.”
Similarly, Bexley held their twice-yearly tea party for older members of the local community, providing food and company for around 25 guests and their helpers. A three-piece band and two singers sang both festive music and songs from the 50s and 60s.
It’s also been a busy season for the Brigade’s Choir. In December, the Choir sang to over 1,600 members of staff, their friends and families, retired colleagues and external partners at the Brigade’s Carol Service at Westminster Cathedral. The event raised almost £3000 for the Firefighters Charity.
The Choir then sang with the Blue Light Symphony Choir and Brass Band at carols hosted by Soho Fire Station on the 16th of December. The Choir dressed in firefighter’s tunics to show support for their frontline colleagues and sang festive tunes to Soho’s crowds as they passed by.
Deputy Commissioner Jonathan Smith said: “I would like to thank everyone at London Fire Brigade that has been working over the Christmas period – firefighters, control officers and colleagues in our enabling services.
"As well as being ready to respond to emergencies over the festive period, I’m proud that we’ve been supporting our local communities in other ways, whether that's welcoming people into fire stations, or supporting charitable causes across London.”
