Wrexham Firefighters Donate Historic Equipment to Museum

Lifesaving equipment which helped firefighters protect the people of Wrexham across nearly six decades will have a new lease of life as they are passed on to the town’s museum.

Wrexham County Borough Council’s Museum service was donated a collection of firefighting equipment from the Bradley Road fire station, which was opened in 1957.

The items were donated by North Wales Fire and Rescue Service before last month’s move from the Bradley Road station to the new state of the art Ambulance and Fire Services Resource Centre (AFSRC) on Croesnewydd Road.

Some of the items donated include a tannoy that has been on-site since the 1950s and alerted officers in the event of emergencies, as well as breathing apparatus, helmets, technical items and call-out bells which have been used at the station from the 1970s to the present day.

Karen Murdoch and Virginia Bithell of Wrexham Museum were invited to the Bradley Road station before the move to collect the items for preservation.

The items donated will be stored in the Museum’s collections centre.

Cllr Hugh Jones, Lead Member for Communities and Partnerships, said: “The donation from North Wales Fire and Rescue Service is very welcome.

“The items of firefighting equipment donated will have served long and interesting careers with the fire and rescue service, and having them at the museum will go some way to revealing the social history of the town during the time in which they were used.”

This Saturday between 11am and 1pm the Fire Service will join the Museum for a forecourt event which will feature a display of two vintage fire engines.

Visitors will have a chance to view the new additions to the collection, while children can enjoy colouring in and try the museum’s self-guided, family-friendly trails.

The museum will also host a series of events during the summer holidays, with families invited to attend.

From 10.30am until 12.30pm on Thursday 2nd June, a Make and Take craft event will be held at the museum, with a cost of £1 per child.

And on the same day, from 2pm until 3.30pm, free guided tours will be held of the Bersham Ironworks, meeting at the Bersham Heritage Centre car park.

For more information on events held at the museum please visit the Wrexham Museum website or call 01978 297 460.