In 2016 I visited Alan Greenwood in Chobham to see his collection of vintage fire engines. I ended up having a drive around the area in a 1961 Dennis engine. It was such unexpected fun. Alan has a life-long passion for fire engines and has a collection of a dozen, many which have already been painstakingly restored. He has used them on vintage rallies, including the London to Brighton. They have also been featured in documentaries and film.
The latest engine to come into the collection is the 1993 Sunbury fire engine. It was retired from service in 2010 and is now joining the Greenwood fleet. It would have been in active service across the Spelthorne area.
In 2017 one of the engines from the collection, a 1948 Dennis F2 was involved in fire once more. One of the last appliances manufactured in the Dennis factory in Guildford, it had just been lovingly restored and was on its way back on a low loader lorry to join the fleet, when the lorry caught fire and the fire engine was almost destroyed. “It was heart breaking” said Alan “but we started again and brought it back to its former glory once more”.
An unusual hobby, taking up a good deal of space, the engines do earn their keep. Alan uses his turntable ladder engine for funerals of former and serving fire service staff. He also raises money for charities; Children with Special Needs Foundation and the Sam Beare hospice in Woking, by auctioning rides in the engines at events. He has raised thousands in this way.