A FIRE station is celebrating a massive anniversary with an open day this weekend.

This year marks 160 years since a fire station was first established in Cricklade.

To mark the special occasion, the station is hosting an open day this Sunday between 10am and 4pm.

It will also coincide with the hugely popular annual Cricklade Festival, which attracts thousands of people.

Firefighter Jim Taylor, one of the organisers, explained: “Once we realised that this year was an anniversary year, we wanted to celebrate, and we’re looking forward to being part of the festival!

"The school is kindly letting us use their playground for stalls, so there will be plenty to see and do.”

Throughout the day, crew from the station will demonstrate car accident techniques.

Fire cadets will put on a display using ladders and hoses, and there will also be cooker fire demonstrations.

Stalls will include the Fire Fighters Charity, Wiltshire Air Ambulance, Wiltshire Search & Rescue and British Red Cross.

Swindon, Stratton, Westlea and other nearby fire stations will support the occasion through the day.

A number of vintage fire appliances will be on display.

A star attraction will also be provided by Cricklade Museum, which is providing a wealth of artefacts relating to the fire and rescue service within the town over the years.

There will also be an opportunity for anyone interested in being an on-call firefighter in Cricklade to chat with the crew and find out more.

Anyone wishing to visit will need to park at Cricklade Rugby Club, which is the main Festival car park.