ST ALBANS firefighters are used to carrying out all sorts of daring and dangerous deeds, but even they would admit that their latest challenge was amongst their toughest assignments so far.

Months of hard work and dedicated fundraising by the men of Blue Watch finally came to fruition on Thursday, December 13, with the presentation of a cheque for more than £3,000 to the Keech Cottage Children's Hospice in Luton.

Firefighters employed every tactic in the book to raise the sum, including holding raffles, rattling collection buckets, securing sponsorship and most challenging of all, completing the Review half marathon earlier this year.

This latest surge of charitable generosity comes just weeks after the same watch raised £1,500 towards the £13,500 St Albans Fire Station donated to the New York firefighter appeal.

Sub officer Hatherley said: "This cheque pays testament to the professionalism and dedication of the firefighters on blue watch.

"Not only have they raised money for a number of deserving causes in their own time this year, they have done so in a way that demonstrates the amount of support they can muster from friends, family colleagues and the people of St Albans - without whose generosity and support charity events of this nature would not be possible."

The extraordinary effort of blue watch was given impetus by the touching gift given by nine-year-old Abigail Dunn and her brother Edward, aged six.

Just days after the New York tragedy they donated a giant teddy bear of their own to the fire station to be raffled off for the families of those killed or injured

The bear raised £200 and when the holder of the winning raffle ticket kindly returned it to the pair, they immediately decided to donate it to the sick children at Keech Cottage.

Even the burly firefighters of blue watch admit they were touched by such generosity and they were also keen to thank Mrs Sue Gardiner of Boots and Mrs June Hatton of the Abbey National for organising donations of money and toys.

December 14, 2001 15:00