New county memorial for fallen firefighters

A new memorial is set to be unveiled in honour of Staffordshire firefighters who have died in service.

The plaque and memorial garden is based at the fire service's headquarters in Stone, and will be unveiled on 30 May.

Bosses said the unveiling event would include a short ceremony as well as live music and a buffet.

"We are so grateful to everyone who has volunteered their time, expertise and fundraising efforts towards the construction of the stone and memorial garden," chief fire officer Rob Barber said.

Relatives, friends and colleagues of those included on the memorial are invited to the event.

Those initially being remembered on the memorial are: David Mason, Stuart Moss, Surrinder Mahal, David Smith, Christopher Poole, Kevin Bowcock, Alan George, Peter Harrison, Richard Graham, James Lambert, Jennifer Jones, Michael Bielawski, Paul Timmins, Robert Clark, Lee Brown, Mark Hancock, Christopher Dowding, Alex Taylor, Gary Bowcock, Peter Andrews, Alec Elwell, James Morris, Dave Hill, Rob Watts and Will Stevens.

Improvements to the garden are planned with funds left over after the memorial was paid for.

These will make it a quiet and tranquil place for staff and relatives to remember friends and family, the fire service said.

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