FAMILY and friends of the 18 cadets from Chirk Young Firefighters Association were invited to the fire station for a special display.

The open evening was organised to demonstrate the cadets’ achievements and showcase their skills to their loved ones.

The cadets range from 11 to 18 years old, and live in Chirk, Wrexham, Glyn Ceiriog and Deeside.

The association meets one evening a week for a two-and-a-half hour session.

Chirk is the longest running Young Firefighters Association branch in North Wales, and has been running for nine years.

During the evening, Dan Quinlan, aged 14, from Deeside, was awarded with the Stephen Samuels Memorial Trophy for ‘Cadet of the year 2008’.

Andy Scarratt, watch manager at Chirk Fire Station, said: “We felt it was important to welcome the friends and family of our cadets to the fire station for them to see for themselves what the youngsters have achieved.

“We had an excellent evening, with the parents telling us that they really valued the opportunities the YFA offered the cadets, and the way the association helps boost their confidence.

“We were also keen to hold an open evening as three of our cadets are coming up to 17 years old, and will be leaving the YFA this year.

“The cadets take part in all manner of drills with us. We also teach the cadets first aid, and promote community fire safety – they then take these important messages into the community and help to keep the residents of the region as safe as possible.

“We use a disciplined approach with rules, which in turn makes the cadets respect the service, the instructors, the station, Šthe equipment and, of course, Šeach other.

“We do physical training and a lot of team relays to help the youngsters learn the importance of working together as a group.”