A 90-YEAR-OLD woman who worked for Bury Fire Brigade for many years has been given a tour of the town’s new fire station to reminisce on her time in the service.

Lily Davis served as a control operator, often working alongside her father George Davis, who was a company officer responsible for 10 fire engines.

For many years Lily lived with her family in the fireman’s flats in Paradise Street — behind the old fire station on The Rock.

She visited the new fire station building with partner of seven years Maurice Scott, aged 80, to celebrate national Older People’s Day.

During her visit Lily, who now lives in Grimsby, looked through old photographs and talked about her time in the fire service with members of staff.

The watch gave her a demonstration in the yard and she had the chance to use the hose before tucking into chilli with officers and watching video footage of the former Bury Fire Brigade.

She said: “It’s been an absolutely fantastic day and I have had a wonderful time.

“I’d be lost in Bury now though because there’s been so much change in the town and it’s been great to be able to come back.”

Lily was working in the control room when a large fire occurred at Bury drill hall in the early 1940s, killing one fire officer and injuring many, including her father.

She was not afraid of getting her hands dirty, and spent many of her days hanging in the air from a large extendable ladder on a fire engine to give rescue demonstrations.

This involved Lily being attached to a static rope used for rescues — called a Davy Line — at the top of a ladder 100ft in the air then dropping to the ground.

Lily’s visit was part of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service’s (GMFRS) Older People’s Day, which saw activities taking place across stations to celebrate the contributions the elderly make to the community.

Bury station manager Mark Threader said: “Older People’s Day was an opportunity for GMFRS to help older people stay safe going into the winter season and to ensure they can continue contributing to society and remain full of life for as long as possible.

“Hosting Lily’s visit was an absolute pleasure. She is a very spritely lady with lots of interesting stories and we really enjoyed having her at the station to share those memories with us.”