A North Yorkshire couple held a garden party fundraiser in aid of us recently to celebrate their 80th birthdays – the same year as we mark our own 80th anniversary – and as a thank you to their local fire crew who helped them during a major roof fire.
Richard and Justina Sexton, who live in Clapham, North Yorkshire, asked guests to donate to us instead of buying them gifts at the event, as a way of showing their support for fire crews right across the UK – just like those from Bentham Fire Station and the surrounding area who helped them.
Their son, Edward, says: “The fire happened in October 2021. I was staying with my wife and daughter and we were putting our daughter to bed and noticed some sparks out of the flume from the boiler.
“We turned the boiler off to contain it and it’d usually sort itself out, but the roof hadn’t been done since the 1950s and they think a spark might have come out and caught on there, which started it.
“The whole roof went up and there were several fire engines here at one point. The fire damage was just to the roof and attic, but unfortunately there was extensive water damage to the rest of the house. The whole house was sodden and needed a complete refurb.”
Richard and Justina had to move out for a year and a half as renovations to their home took place, with new floors and a new roof needed, but were finally able to move back in at the start of this year.
It’s then that they chose to host the garden party for their friends and local community.
“The firefighters did a fantastic job quickly, safely and calmly on the night and were understanding and caring throughout, we are so thankful that they were there and this was the very least we could do to repay them,” says Edward.
“The local community really rallied round too, offering hot drinks and their homes for the firefighters to rest in.
“Both my parents turned 80 this year and we later discovered that the Charity turns 80 this year too, which was an amazing coincidence, so we planned the garden party for 13 May to celebrate.
“I hadn’t known much about The Fire Fighters Charity before, but I’m aware of how much good work emergency services charities do and know they’re reliant on support like this.”
To ensure we can continue supporting our fire services community, please donate what you can now and make a life-changing difference:
