SIX new recruits are interested in joining the fire brigade in Malmesbury after the station launched a campaign to boost its number of retained firefighters.

The station, in Gloucester Road, has 13 part-time firefighters on call and ideally wants at least 16.

It held an opening evening in May for anyone interested in joining.

Six people are now either doing assessments already, or waiting to find out if they are suitable.

Should each of the potential firefighters pass the assessments, they would go through a week's training at the brigade's centre in Devizes.

Leading Firefighter Wayne Jones, 31, based at Malmesbury Fire Station, said three of the people interested would be taken on, and three would be put on stand-by.

All of the six people are men. Malmesbury already has two female firefighters. "The potential recruitments have all come as a result of the recruitment campaign and if all six are available then we will have achieved what we set out to do," said Leading Firefighter Jones, 31.

He combines his daily job as a team leader at a call centre in Swindon with his role in the fire service.

Malmesbury firefighters will be presenting cheques for £750 to the Wiltshire Air Ambulance and the fire services National Benevolent Fund, at the station on August 14.

The money was raised through fundraising last year.