Llandovery Fire & Rescue service will be better equipped to tackle grass fires in future thanks to the generous fundraising efforts of local wool and haberdashery store, Bumblebees.

Hundreds of pounds have been raised by the owners of the Bumblebees store in Carmarthenshire to contribute towards the purchase of a STIHL Leaf Blower. Leaf blowers are now used by fire crews to help control and extinguish grass fires. The backpack blower relieves the crew from the traditional method of using beaters.

To help raise the funds, owners of Bumblebees, Linzi and Jason Brown, have held raffles, tabletop car boot sales, as well as cake and mulled cider sales over the past 12 months.

Linzi Brown said, “It was a conversation with local firefighter and avid knitter, Ella Peel, that led Jason and I to start our fundraising campaign. We are so grateful for the amazing service the crew provide to our community that when we heard they were missing this piece of equipment we set to raise the funds necessary to enable the purchase. We'd like to thank all those who supported us.”

The fundraising target was happily exceeded, and the additional funds have gone towards the fire station’s kitty for refreshments for the crew.

Bumblebees wool and haberdashery shop, is in the Market Square of Llandovery. Linzi and Jason Brown, who live in Llanwrda, created the wool and haberdashery business from scratch in 2021. Linzi is a life-long crafter with a passion for fabric and free machine embroidery.

Bumblebees stocks everything from beautiful quality yarns to a variety of fabrics as well as buttons, ribbons and trims galore. If you fancy trying something new there’s plenty to spark your creativity. There are books to inspire, needle felting supplies and a range of make-your-own kits. They also stock a range of gifts for the creative. For more information, visit: www.bumblebeesofllandovery.com