FIREFIGHTERS raised cash for workmates injured in the line of duty with a special collection day.

The men from Blue Watch at Bolton Central station sold yellow helmets and other items at The Market Place in Bolton town centre, on Saturday -- raising £570. They also showed videos to shoppers about the dangers of chip pan blazes.

The day was in aid of the Firefighters' Benevolent Fund, set up to help the families of colleagues who have lost their lives fighting fires. The fund also provides physiotherapy for injured firefighters and reunites retired workmates who have lost touch.

Howard Denton, the Fund's representative in Bolton, said he hoped the day would become an annual event.

He said: "The response we had from the public was brilliant. They stopped and talked to us and asked what we were raising money for."

"The fund is so important to families who have lost a loved one in the line of duty. We provide support to them, giving them bereavement counselling and legal advice.

"The fund is also important to retired firefighters who fall into difficulties, maybe because the loss of a loved one."