Ten-year-old autistic boy to visit every fire station in Merseyside as part of UK fire station charity tour

Ten-year-old autistic boy to visit every fire station in Merseyside as part of UK fire station charity tour

A 10-year-old autistic boy who is on a mission to visit every fire station in the country to raise money for The Fire Fighters Charity will arrive in Merseyside next week to tour each of the county’s stations.

Andrew Dane, from Portsmouth in Hampshire, began his journey in February 2015 and has since visited 865 stations including every station in Hampshire, Isle of Wight, East and West Sussex, Royal Berkshire, Bedfordshire, Shropshire, Suffolk, Cheshire, Cleveland, Tyne & Wear, Cumbria and County Durham.

He has also visited stations in Copenhagen and raised a staggering £1,700 on his journey so far.

Next week he will travel to Merseyside on Monday August 22, Tuesday August 23 and Wednesday August 24  and visit all of 25 of Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service’s (MFRS) stations in Liverpool, Sefton, Knowsley, Wirral and St Helens.

His visit will include a tour of MFRS’s Marine Rescue Unit and meetings with MFRS’s Chief Fire Officer, Dan Stephens and Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Phill Garrigan.

Andrew will also be given demonstrations by MFRS’s Search and Rescue Team, Marine Rescue Team and Urban Search and Rescue Dog Team.

As well as raising money for The Fire Fighters Charity, Andrew will also be raising awareness about autism as part of his adventure.

Andrew said: “Two years ago I could not read or write, I had very poor social skills and I struggled to communicate with people I didn’t know. Through my fire station journey and support from my new school I’ve now learned to read and write, I’ve become outgoing and I communicate well – especially with firefighters and support personnel.

“I have had a fascination with the fire service for quite a few years and I’m on a mission to visit as many fire stations as I can, including every single one of the 2,330 in the UK, Ireland and the Crown Dependencies.

“During my visits I have met many firefighters who have been injured and received help and support from The Fire Fighters Charity. This has made me want to help too and I am now raising money for the charity.

“Also on my journey I have raised awareness about autism and told lots of people that the fire services do so much more than just fighting fires.”

To read more about Andrew and his journey visit http://andrewdane.thisistap.com/  or follow @andrewdaneuk on Twitter

You can sponsor Andrew directly here: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/oneladschallenge

For more information about The Fire Fighters Charity visit www.firefighterscharity.org.uk

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