An open day at Hitchin Fire Station on Saturday has proved to be a huge success.

The Comet: Teddy Bear parachute jumpTeddy Bear parachute jump (Image: Archant)

The station in Newtons Way played host to a large number of families for a community event which also saw more than 100 teddy bears being fired into the air during a parachute drop.

Crew commander Rachel Broom said: “The day was a huge success. It was nice to see so many families visit us.

“It was also great to learn that so many people have picked up smoke alarms, as well as help make people think about fire safety and the idea of a fire escape plan in the event of a house fire.

“There were lots of smiling faces during the teddy bear parachute drop. We fired more than 120 teddies into the air.

“We were also able to demonstrate the versatility of our aerial ladder platform in retrieving a couple of wayward teddies from hedges – much to the relief of the children and parents!”