NORTH-WEST Ambulance Service (NWAS) in Grange has officially moved into the fire station after a year-long campaign to find a new home. 

The ambulance service put out an appeal to the community in Grange to find a new home after 20 years of being stationed on Kents Bank Road. The owners of the old site declared an interested in reclaiming it for their old use so NWAS had to find a new site. 

The ambulance officially moved into the fire station on Beech Road on February 21. One 24/7 emergency ambulance will be stationed there which is operated by a team of eight clinicians. Refurbishment at the fire station will get underway soon to create a mess room, kitchen, bathroom, locker room and office area.

A canopy will be erected outside and there will be parking for ambulances and staff parking. Once contractors are in place, it should take about two months to complete the work and NWAS will then move from the current shared accommodation into its own space on the site. Initially, the agreement is for 12 months with the potential to make it a permanent arrangement.

The area director for Cumbria and Lancashire Matt Cooper said: "There is a definite need for an ambulance based in Grange-over-Sands so we wanted to do everything we could to ensure we could stay. Unfortunately, suitable properties just weren’t available so it is great news to now be able to confirm that we are now sharing accommodation with Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service.

"We would like to thank the local community who were so helpful in suggesting new sites, our current site’s owners R.A. and J.S. Fletcher and Sons who have looked after us for 20 years, and of course, Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service for opening up their station to us.”

Ian Seel, Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service area manager said: “We are proud to be able to provide a home in Grange for our colleagues at North West Ambulance Service. To have our two organisations working side by side from the same site will bring tremendous benefits to the wider community.

“This arrangement is the first of its kind for an On-Call station in Cumbria, and it mirrors other positive examples of collaboration between Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service and North West Ambulance Service, including at the Ulverston Blue Light Hub."