A Ross-on-Wye firefighter, Martin Lown, was winner of the Supporter of the Year at the Spirit of Fire Awards 2015, which took place on Friday, October 2nd.

Hosted by The Fire Fighters Charity, and presented by BBC newsreader Nicholas Owen, the awards honour members of the fire community for their dedication to The Fire Fighters Charity. The awards also recognise acts of courage by firefighters and members of the public.

Martin is the Service Coordinator for Hereford and Worcester and regularly pushes his body to its physical limits to raise money for the charity. He has climbed Kilimanjaro, Mount Everest Base Camp, and Mount Toubkal in North Africa in full fire kit, carrying specially adapted breathing apparatus. These three mountain ascents alone raised £12,000 and Martin has helped Hereford and Wor­cester Fire and Rescue raise nearly £90,000 in 2014.

For the full story, see this week’s Ross Gazette.