Staff past and present, family and friends joined together to celebrate 50 years of Philips Park Community Fire Station in East Manchestrr

The golden anniversary of serving and protecting the local community took place last Saturday.

Retired members of staff who were previously based at the station returned to show their families where they worked and to share their memories.

Mike Conroy, a retired firefighter who worked at Philips Park between 1967 and 1997, said: “It has been a good day seeing so many old faces, swapping stories both sad and funny.

“I have so many happy memories of working here. We used to host discos and parties with people growing up at the station. It was a real centre of the community.”

For the celebration, a vintage fire engine sat next to its modern counterpart highlighting how the service has changed over the years.

Station Manager Bob Birtles said: “Saturday went really well with lots of people coming along to celebrate and enjoy the day.

“It was great to see people interested in volunteering with the fire service while learning about the history of the station.

“I’d like to thank everyone who helped organise the event and made it such a success, especially Mike Conroy, Bob Bonner and Fire Brigade Memories.”

Philips Park Community Fire Station was originally built in 1967 at a cost of £85,000.

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