A BURY fire station stalwart retired over the weekend after 31 years at the station.

Fifty-one year-old Ged Birch, who lives in Walmersley, started working at Bury fire station when he was 20 years old, working there for 28 years, plus a shorter spell at Rochdale station.

He did his last shift as a fireman, leaving to pursue a career as a DJ, last Friday, with fellow Bury staff paying tribute to him.

Keith Hadley, watch manager, said: "He joined in 1989 and has been a big part of the station ever since. He was always a big character in the station."

Mr Birch recorded his leaving presentation on Facebook Live with family and friends across the world watching.

He said streaming the presentation was a "nice way to do it" but that it was a "pity the pubs are shut" on his last day.

Ged said that he was an air cadet as a child and that he was "always going down that route" of becoming a fireman at the age of 20.

He said: "I started pretty much as young as you can. It was my dream job, I was excited to go to work every day."

Bury Times:

Ged is now pursuing a new dream of becoming a full-time DJ.

He said: "I've been doing it a couple of years now and have set up my own company."

Ged admitted it was not the ideal time to start as a DJ, in lockdown, but that he has been live streaming every week.

Firefighting is still in the family however as Ged's wife works at Whitefield Station and his step-daughter is with the fire service in the Midlands.