BOLTON Wanderers Supporters’ Trust will give local firefighters 25 free tickets to a forthcoming match as a gesture of thanks for their work in the Winter Hill fires.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service are only now withdrawing crews completely from the area, five weeks after the moorland blaze – which overlooks The University of Bolton Stadium - took hold.

At its height, hundreds of firefighters tackled the blaze on Winter Hill near Bolton after it broke out on 28 June.

The fire spread across 7 sq miles (18 sq km) but crews had saved properties and vital infrastructure.

The trust hope to reward some of the many Wanderers fans at local stations by offering a free afternoon’s entertainment watching Phil Parkinson’s side in the Championship.

Wanderers have also confirmed to The Bolton News they will match the trust’s offer to allow even more of the firefighters to enjoy their day.

Terence Rigby, chairman of the BWFCST said “We just wanted to try and show our appreciation of the work carried out by the firefighters and the volunteer services and getting some of them down to a match will, hopefully, let the BWFC fans in general add to that sentiment. We have approached the club to see if they can support the initiative as we would like to see as many there as possible.”

Wanderers also supplied free tickets to Lancashire Fire Service to the recent concert by The Killers.