THE Lottery-backed Big Lunch put the fun into fundraising at Clacton fire station last Sunday.

Youngsters got the chance to see the fire engines, dress up as firefighters and meet rescue dogs.

Firefighters pitched in by staging a sponsored car wash. The event raised money for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign.

Firefighter Rob Newman’s three-year-old son Stanley, of Skelmersdale Road, Clacton, suffers from the disease.

The event included a car wash, fairground rides live music, a magician and dance troupes including a Bollywood dancer.

Rob and wife Laura said they were “blown away” by the support.

He added: “It went really well. People had the chance to look around the fire engines and the station – it was a really successful day.

“We raised £2,900, which is being matched by the Halifax, so that’s £5,800, which is a colossal amount for just one day.”

Stanley’s type of congenital muscular dystrophy is so rare it only affects one in a million people. The cash will be used to help him.

Rob said: “There’s not much research into his condition, so it is a chance for us to build a little pot of money to go to research wherever in the world it is being carried out.”

The Big Lunch is run by the Eden Project and supported by the Halifax bank, which is raising money for Stanley this year.