A TRUST fund set up in memory of murdered Bury schoolboy Joe Geeling has been given a boost thanks to trainee firefighters in the town.

The 18 recruits collected £1,339 from shoppers when they carried a 50 kilo ladder five miles from their station in The Rock. through the town centre and up to Peel Monument on Holcombe Hill.

The bulk of the money, £1,200, will be donated to the Joe Geeling Trust. The Fire Brigade Benevolent Fund will received the remainder of the cash.

The trust fund was set up by Joe's parents, Tom and Gwen, to benefit the charity groups close to their son's heart: the Booth Hall Children's Hospital and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

Crew manager Jason Rain, who is one of the instructors teaching the new recruits, said: "Joe's family have very strong ties with the fire service in Bury and the trainees said they wanted to do something to help support the trust fund set up in his memory.

"We were overwhelmed by the support shown by the public, not just in Bury town centre but all along the route from the fire station to Peel Tower. On behalf of the recruits I would like to personally thank everyone who donated to such a worthy cause."

Joe (11) of Devon Street, Bury, was killed in March. His killer, 15-year-old Michael Hamer of Dalton Street, Elton, was last week sentenced to spend a minimum of 12 years in prison.