BIG-hearted members of the public have helped firefighters in Northallerton reach the top of the table when it comes to recycling old textiles.

Every January the Fire Fighters Charity holds a national competition between fire stations to see which can collect the greatest amount of donated clothing in their recycling bins.

Thanks to support from local people who have brought their unwanted clothing and textiles to the Cosby Street yellow bin, Northallerton fire station has come top out of all the stations in the Yorkshire region.

Collecting 807kg in just one month, they beat all 84 other fire stations in the region – which also put them ninth in the national table out of 577 stations that took part.

The charity’s regional fundraiser, Judith Oliver, presented a certificate to firefighter Adrian Johnson, on behalf of the entire station, and expressed the charity’s gratitude for their support.

The contents of the bins are a major source of income for the charity, having brought in more than £1m in four years.

The money raised helps serving and retired firefighters and their dependants, as well as fire and rescue service support staff, in times of illness, injury or other urgent need.

In the last nine months, more than 370 have been helped across the region by the provision of rehabilitation, recuperation after illness or in other ways.