HUNDREDS of guests turned out on Saturday afternoon to support Whitely Wood fire station's community open day.

Families flocked into the station to see fire safety demonstrations, grab a bite to eat and support a range of charities.

Fire fighters gave the public an insight into how they deal with road traffic collisions with a live display, before the junior crew took their turn.

The Water and Animal Rescue Unit team were on hand to give a talk, with a range of activities, including a bbq, ice cream van, boxing and a giant football dart board supplied by Laurel Park FC.

Paul Thomas, station commander for Whitley Wood fire station, said: "We normally have an open day every year and it is all about giving the community the chance to come down and see what we do and to interact with the local fire station.

"It is a special one for us this year because we are celebrating 25 years of the fire station being here, so it is a double celebration.

"We have worked really hard to put a show on for the community and we have teamed up with our colleagues from the police and ambulance services who are kindly supporting us today.

"All of the appliances here today could need to be used at any time and that is the occupational hazard we are faced with. It means we have to have a few appliances on stand by that we can use if we do need to attend a fire.

"We have got our specialist extrication team giving a demonstration and a lot of off-duty staff coming in to support us.

"We are really grateful to have had such a great turnout this year. We never normally struggle to attract a crowd, but this year feels like a real success. Quite a few months of planning have gone into today, but it is all worthwhile."