Brighton and Hove 999 Fun Day being held on Hove Lawns today

The second annual Brighton and Hove 999 Fun Day takes place on Hove seafront today (Sunday 19 August).

Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, South East Coast Ambulance Service, St John Ambulance, the Coastguard and Brighton RNLI will all be taking part.

The event starts at 10am on King’s Lawns in Kingsway, opposite Adelaide Crescent, and runs until 4pm.

Arena displays are promised throughout the day as well as sea-based demonstrations.

And the event gives people a chance to meet members of the emergency services and take a close-up look at 999 response vehicles.

Part of aim is to encourage people, particularly the more vulnerable, to think of safety in every aspect of what they do – in the home, at the beach and on the roads.

Another aim is to raise money for various charitable organisations.

Station Manager Rob Martin, from Hove Fire Station, said: “This is a big community event so it’s a fantastic opportunity to welcome the public we serve and demonstrate the wide range of preventative work East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service undertakes.

“All the team are really looking forward to the open day and we’d love to see you and your family there.”

Inspector Richard Delacour, from the Brighton and Hove Neighbourhood Response Team, said: “The 999 Fun Day is about celebrating and raising awareness of the work that the emergency services do as well as giving the public lots of opportunities to ask questions and interact with all the partner agencies.”

Next Saturday (25 August) Preston Circus Fire Station in Brighton is to hold an open day.

And earlier this month – on Sunday 5 August – the volunteer crew of the RNLI Brighton lifeboat welcomed more than 800 people to their annual open day at Brighton Marina.