A young boy with a rare skin condition has ticked off another part of his bucket list thanks to Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service.

Rhys Williams, who is 13 years old and lives in Farnworth, suffers from a rare condition called epidermolysis bullosa and has written a bucket list, which included his wish to visit a fire station

Bury Training and Safety Centre staff heard about his bucket list and passion for the fire service and decided to organise a surprise he would never forget at the site.

Alongside White Watch from Ramsbottom Community Fire Station, Rhys’ family and friends hid themselves at the centre to give Rhys a huge cheer and welcome as he arrived.

Rhys was then whisked off in a fire engine, spending 20 minutes driving around Bury to familiarise himself with a firefighters most important piece of equipment.

Otheir way back to the safety centre disaster struck and the radio went off – they were urgently needed at a house fire on site. Blue lights and sirens were switched on and Rhys and the crew made their way to a house billowing with smoke.

Luckily Ramsbottom White Watch were still on site, dealing with the incident while Rhys watched on.

Once the specially designed drill was finished it was time for a private tour of the state of the art safety centre, so Rhys and his friends could learn about fire risks and hazards and how they can be avoided.

Ex-firefighter ‘Foxy’ was guide for the day, sharing knowledge from his 30 year career as a firefighter as Rhys and his friends explored all the facilities Bury Training and Safety Centre has to offer.

As the day drew on there was one last surprise for Rhys to enjoy as staff had arranged a special birthday party, featuring a special fire engine cake, presents and a game of bingo, called by Foxy.

More items were ticked off his bucket list as Safety Centre staff had organised a personalised Liverpool shirt, signed photo frame and stadium tour along with a GAME voucher.

Although an adult missed the memo and Rhys didn’t win the game of bingo he went home smiling along with his mum, dad and family and an armful of presents.