End of 31-year watch for fireman Mark Beswick from Oldham Fire Station

A WATCH commander at Oldham Fire Station who helped extinguish the 1984 Summit Tunnel fire in Rochdale is hanging up his helmet today after 31 years in service.
Mark Beswick (51), from Grotton, joined Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service in 1980. Based at the Lees Road station, Oldham for the past 15 years, his career has seen him tackle hundreds of fires in the borough.
But the time is right for the father-of-two to step down from his role and, as he said, leave fire-fighting to his younger colleagues.
A formal presentation event was held at Oldham Fire Station in Lees Road, with the deputy borough commander Kevin Talbot and area manager Andrew Brookes. Tony Green, crew manager, said: "Mark is a very methodical, meticulous officer with fantastic attention to detail but he also has a humorous side."