Firefighters help'¨to clean up HQ of'¨children's charity

Firefighters from Blackpool Fire Station turned their hoses on the decking of Donna’s Dream House on Chapel Street, Blackpool, to clean up the charity headquarters before Prince’s Trust volunteers moved in with paint pots and brushes.

Raymond Beasley, 27, team leader at Blackpool Prince’s Trust, said: “We got the firefighters to come down and hose down the decking with one of their jet washes to clean it up and get rid of all the moss so we could go in and repaint it.”

The hose-down marks the start of a two-week renovation project to improve the home, which gives terminally ill children the chance to go on one last dream holiday with their parents.

Raymond said: “The aim is to refurbish the front garden area for the families and service users of Donna’s Dream House to enjoy, but it is also to spread awareness for Donna’s Dream House, to raise the profile of the charity and bring in donations that it needs to keep going.

“Donna’s Dream House offers terminally ill children and teenagers and their families a chance to get away from a life in and out of hospital.

“A lot of the children who go there are very aware that it might be the last holiday they will ever have as a family. They also give holidays to bereaved families who have lost a child.

“We want to get people talking about Donna’s Dream House again and show people that this is in their community and that it needs their support to continue.

“We’re still working on it at the moment and it should be completed by June 3.

“We’ve invited local dignitaries, the Mayor and Mayoress will be there, and hopefully we’ll have a photographer there too. I think we will get positive response feedback and that the people who use Donna’s Dream House will be very happy with the work that we do.”