Attleborough Fire station celebrates 75 years of the Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service with open day

There was weekend family fun at Attleborough Fire Station as it celebrated 75 years of its service and that of Norfolk Fire and Rescue.

The Saturday event saw the Thieves' Lane station open its doors to everyone to appreciate the milestone.

The day had vehicle displays, demonstrations, kids’ activities and a visit from Paw Patrol’s Marshall.

Watch manager Mark Wilson, who coordinated the event with the station's crew, said it was a success.

He added: “It was greatly received and we had such a good turnout, more than we expected really, which was great.

“A lot of people came from not only the surrounding areas but from further afield as well, and the positive comments we had were nice to hear.”

Visitors saw old, existing and new equipment and were given the chance to get their hands on items such as hoses and throw lines.

Crew members from stations including Sandringham, Dereham, Diss and Attleborough also helped on the day.

Mark, who is in his 27th year as a firefighter, said: “Thanks to everyone for coming to celebrate this milestone for Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service.

“Also to the crews who gave their time to be a part of it, it was very much appreciated by the crew here and myself.”

In the 75 years, the Attleborough station has seen 92 firefighters serving their community since the original crew in 1948 transferred into the Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service

Mark said in 1960, when Attleborough's current station was built, they had 61 calls in that year, last year saw the station attend 350.

He added: “It just shows how diverse and wide ranging the incidents are that we are called to now, and we now go further afield to assist colleagues across the county.

“With the summer last year and the warm weather that we are having now call rates do go up and we are in more and more demand every year.”