WILTSHIRE Fire & Rescue Service has been named as Brigade of the Year at this year's Spirit of Fire Awards, held at Wembley Stadium last Friday.

The accolade is in recognition of the amount of money raised over the previous 12 months for the Fire Fighters Charity.

A substantial part of that fundraising was achieved by Swindon Fire Station, which was also shortlisted for a national award as Station of the Year but was pipped to the post by Hook Norton in Oxfordshire.

Swindon raised over £65,000 during 2009/10 through its 50-4-50 campaign - to mark the 50th anniversary of the fire station at Drove Road, firefighters set themselves the target of collecting at least £50,000.

A large contingent from Wiltshire attended the awards ceremony and chief fire officer Andy Goves said he was delighted by the national recognition for Wiltshire’s fundraising.

“This last year has been very special with Swindon 50-4-50, and I congratulate every single person who contributed to that magnificent achievement.

“However, this accolade recognises all of our fundraising, right across the Service area, from the regular car washes to individual efforts, and we should all feel very proud of raising so much money through these efforts and the generosity of the public in such a challenging economic climate.”