The fundraising efforts of a Haverfordwest trainee firefighter have been given a celebrity shout out by television host, author and maths guru, Carol Vordeman.

On Friday, December 3, Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service’s newest firefighters took place in a hose run, running hose the height of Everest to raise money for two charities.

The latest class of firefighters, soon to graduate and be deployed to serve communities across mid and west Wales, took on an Everest of a task in order to raise money for the 2Wish charity and The Fire Fighters Charity.

The 30 new recruits ran lengths of hose from the pier head of Mumbles to Swansea Marina, a distance equivalent to the height of mount Everest.

Running hose is a common yet physical exercise within the fire and rescue service, but yesterday’s efforts took it to the extreme to raise money for 2wish, set up by Neyland's Rhian Mannings, and The Fire Fighters Charity. 

Among them was Narberth trainee Timothy Frost; Crymych trainee, Llifon Howells; and Haverfordwest trainee, Nina Bishop, whose paddleboarding buddy, Carol Vordeman, showed her support on Twitter saying:

"Our Nina is completing her firefighter training and along with all the other recruits for Mid and West Wales Fire is doing a charity hose run in Swansea for @firefighters999 and @2wishcharity."

"To sponsor these wonderful firefighter recruits for Mid and West Wales who are running out 27,000ft of hose to complete the Everest challenge this morning, please donate here justgiving.com/fundraising/robert-martin34… One day you might need them."

Nina knows Carol through paddle boarding in Pembrokeshire and was delighted to have her support.

“It just gets the charities out there,” she said. “They are charities that are close to every fire fighter.”

Group Manager Geraint Thomas, head of training delivery for Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: “Our newest recruits have trained hard over the last three months, at our training facility in Earlswood and at the Fire Service College in Moreton-in-Marsh, and they certainly have not chosen an easy challenge to cap off their entry training into the Fire and Rescue Service.

“They are raising money towards two excellent causes, so I would urge anyone who can spare a few pounds to support their cause. Good luck to them!”