A RETIRING on-call firefighter in Whitchurch has donated his leaving fund to Severn Hospice, whose staff helped his wife towards the end of her life.

Martyn Barlow is calling it a day after 29 years as retained firefighter in Whitchurch and was able to present a cheque for £300 to the hospice through donations from his colleagues, which is a a tradition within the service.

Debbie Barlow died aged 49 three years having battled ovarian cancer, and Martyn, who also works at Whitchurch Junior School in Station Road, was delighted to share the proceeds with those who supported her.

And he admitted that while he will miss the company of his colleagues, he is happy to be hanging up his helmet.

"I want to thank everyone who has helped me along the way," he said. "We gave £300 to the hospice in the end from the donations from my colleagues. The nurses that came to collect it helped Debbie while she was ill.

"It's the right time. I lost Debbie about three years ago – you don't realise how much you take wives and partners in this industry for granted.

"You can't do this job without total commitment. I'm more than happy to be stopping but I will miss my colleagues, the banter and the call-outs.

"But I won't miss the drill. My son Tom has been doing it for five years and it's for the younger ones now."