Kidderminster company donates to firefighter charity after huge industrial blaze
A company has made a significant donation to the Fire Fighters Charity to show its gratitude for the work carried out by crews at the scene of a major fire in Kidderminster.
Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service spent days trying to tackle a blaze at the Hoo Farm Industrial Estate fire in the town.
Steel stockholder John Tainton occupies the neighbouring site to MCD, whose premises were destroyed in the fire on December 6 last year.
Prompt action by crews prevented the fire from spreading and John Tainton has now recognized their efforts by handing over a cheque for £10,000 to the Fire Fighters Charity.
Richard Wandless, the company's operations director, said: "It is only because of the fire service that we have a business, a livelihood and jobs here now.
"To try to rebuild a business like ours from nothing would have taken a couple of years and we do not have any other sites we could move the work to in the short term so it could have had very serious consequences.
"This business, that has been in Kidderminster since the mid-1970s, would probably have gone now were it not for the efforts of all the fire crews.
"In addition to being hugely professional in the midst of a really difficult situation, the fire-fighters were also very helpful and genuinely nice people who took time later in the week to help us safely re-open our business."
John Tainton is part of the Hall & Pickles Group, a family-owned business which can trace its history back eight generations to 1812.
In Kidderminster, the company employs 90 workers, plus many more who work for suppliers.
Roy Harwood, divisional director, said: "We closed on the afternoon of the fire, which was a Monday, but we were back up and running again the following Monday and our customers were very understanding of the circumstances."
Area Commander Jon Butlin attended the cheque presentation ceremony along with Group Commanders Jon Laight and Amy Bailey, Station Commander Bob Sproat and Green Watch from Wyre Forest Fire Station.
He said: "The Fire Fighters Charity supports crews past and present and their families and is totally reliant on fundraising to run its three national centres and outreach services.
"That costs the charity around £9 million each year to sustain, so this is a phenomenal gesture which will be massively appreciated."
