The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is helping a schoolboy take a step closer to fulfilling his dream.
Andrew Dane Impey, 12, who lives with Autism, wants to visit every fire station in the UK to raise funds for the Fire Fighters Charity while raising awareness of his condition. The 12-year-old has helped raise more than £2000 through his travels and has visited more than 1000 stations across Britain.
Andrew’s travels have also seen him visit 51 stations in the USA, 15 in Denmark, two in France and one in Spain!
During his trip North of the border, Andrew will take in 85 fire stations in various areas including Glasgow, Edinburgh and Stirling and Clackmannanshire. His visit follows on from a 2016 trip which saw Andrew and dad Paul visit 22 stations in Inverness, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Shetland and Fair Isle.
Andrew, from Portsmouth, is currently preparing for a mammoth 525 mile charity bike ride and is using his summer holiday to learn more about the SFRS.
While visiting each station, Andrew will be put through his paces and be asked to take part in a special challenge – including washing fire engines and helping to flush out a fire hydrant.
So far, Andrew and his family have identified more than 2400 stations – which includes some stations at airports and RAF bases as well as a number of private stations.
SFRS Board Chair Dr Kirsty Darwent praised Andrew’s efforts and said she is delighted the SFRS has played a role in helping Andrew fulfil his goal. She said: “The value of Andrew’s work is recognised by everyone involved with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
“The SFRS is a humanitarian organisation and is committed to doing as much as it can to support charitable efforts. We are therefore over the moon to be in a position to support Andrew’s quest.
“There can be no doubt that Andrew is a positive role model to young people and I very much hope he enjoyed his time visiting some of our fire stations. On behalf of the whole of the SFRS, I wish Andrew well on his epic charity bike ride and on his quest to visit every fire station across the UK.”
Andrew’s delighted mum Kirstine said: “Andrew has been loving it so far and all the stations have been very welcoming, they have all been brilliant. The firefighters have taken Andrew out for a drive, have allowed him to clean a couple of appliances and let him squirt them – and me- with water!
“Andrew is hoping for another big tour of Scotland next year. He is on a mission to visit every station in the UK and I think with his determination that he is probably going to do them all.”
To follow Andrew’s efforts visit www.my75miles.everydayhero.com/uk/andrewDaneUK
You can also follow Andrew on Twitter @AndrewDaneUK.
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