A firefighter in Grange-over-Sands is set to retire after 26 years of 'dedicated service' in Cumbria.

Nathan Higginson was presented with a commemorative firefighter's axe earlier this week to mark his leaving of the service.

Read more: Firefighters recognised for service to Ambleside, Lake District | The Mail (nwemail.co.uk)

He was not the only one to be celebrated over the past seven days, with Cumbria Fire and Rescue continuing their appreciation nights across the county.

The Mail: Crew at Sedbergh receiving their long-service medalsCrew at Sedbergh receiving their long-service medals (Image: Cumbria Fire and Rescue)

A spokesperson from the service said: "It's been a busy week of appreciation events across our service, in which we've said a huge thanks to our dedicated On-Call teams at Milnthorpe Fire Station, Sedbergh Fire Station, Grange Fire Station and Bootle Fire Station.

"We have also extended our sincere gratitude to our crews' families and primary employers, whose unwavering support affords us such high availability rates across our 36 On-Call stations."

The Mail: The crew at MilnthorpeThe crew at Milnthorpe (Image: Cumbria Fire and Rescue)

Along with Mr Higginson, a number of special awards were handed out to various first responders in the area.

"At Sedbergh, we awarded long-service medals to Mike Wilson and Pete Kliszat for 40 years of work, and Glenn Bowman and Ean Moorhouse for 30 years of dedication," the service explained. 

"And at Bootle, Graham Taylor and Paul Mansergh received long-service awards for 37 and 30 years respectively."

The fire service thanked all individuals for the 'professionalism, skill and dedication' they had shown - and continue to show - towards their respective communities.

The Mail: Crew and families at GrangeCrew and families at Grange (Image: Cumbria Fire and Rescue)

Mr Higginson was the standout figure over the course of the events, however, with his former crew mates coming together to give him one last send off.

He joined Grange Fire Station on February 1, 1998 and had his final day as a firefighter on February 29, 2024.

The fire service used the appreciation nights and the commemorations to encourage those interested to consider becoming an on-call firefighter.

You can find out more information here.