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Retired firefighter revisits past on Adwick fire station visit

A retired South Yorkshire firefighter has been handed a heartwarming trip down memory lane, thanks to green watch at Adwick fire station.

Eric Johnson, aged 83, from Mexborough, visited the station in Doncaster where he served as a firefighter for more than a decade between 1974 and 1985.

Eric, who is living with dementia, retired from the fire service in 1989 having first joined in 1958, also serving at Mexborough and Brampton stations during his career.

The octogenarian was accompanied on the visit by wife Ena, aged 79. He met some of the fire station’s current crew, donned fire kit and tried out a modern hose reel. He was also given a tour of the station and even managed to spot the location where his old bed would have been.

The visit was coordinated by Carole Rowland, a member of South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s award-winning community safety team who met Eric and Ena at a memory cafe in Conisbrough which they regularly attend.

Ena said: “It was an absolutely brilliant day and Carole and the crew at Adwick were so kind to us. Unfortunately, Eric has developed Alzheimers, but nostalgic visits like this really help him to relive his past and it was amazing how much he remembered about his time at Adwick, including the layout of the station and even where he used to sleep.”

Dozens of fire service staff have signed up to become Dementia Friends- a Government backed initiative which teaches people a little bit more about what it’s like to live with dementia, and then turns that understanding into action.

This content was last updated on August 15th, 2017