Trustee Dave Lenagan receives MBE

We are absolutely delighted to announce and congratulate our Vice-Chair and Trustee Dave Lenagan on receiving an MBE in the New Year’s Honours list. We are all so proud of his achievements. It could not be better deserved and we are delighted that his lifelong commitment to supporting the recovery, rehabilitation and healing of burn injured children and the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, has been honoured in this way.

Dave commented, “To be nominated and recognised for an MBE is unbelievable. One does not set out on life’s journey looking for recognition. I joined the fire service in 1985 and have served the community of Greater Manchester for over 30 years. The fire service has been a fantastic career for me and has allowed me to see and achieve incredible things. For the past 20 years I have also been involved in helping burn injured children. I was burned when I was 2 years old and overcame these injuries and torment to join the fire service. Having done this I wanted to use my experiences to help other burn injured children achieve their goals, so started the UK’s first children’s burns camp in 1998. The camps, which transform the lives of hundreds of children and help them to come to terms with being burnt or scarred, encourage youngsters to take part in physical activities to boosts their confidence and aid their recovery. To raise further funds I instigated the formation of the Children’s Burns Foundation along with 3 other likeminded people.”

Although Dave retired from the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service at the end of May 2015, he did not retire fully and used his experience gained from his long career to set up his own Fire Safety business. Dave is still actively involved in the Children’s Burns Foundation who recently held their annual Christmas ball at Manchester Airports Concorde hanger where over £30,000 was raised for the charity.