On Saturday Karen paid another visit to Leek Fire Station to talk to the local firefighters about their work and hear about their concerns. Dean Murrell, a member of Red Watch at the station, invited Karen to come and talk to his colleagues about everything from flooding to pensions.
Karen said:
"I was really pleased to accept Dean's invitation. He and his colleagues were very hospitable but we had a serious discussion about the vital services they provide and some of the challenges they face. I understand that some of the fire fighters were concerned about the changes to their pensions and I hope I was able to explain the reasons for them.
"We also talked about the changing role of the fire service and the way things are organised. As always I was impressed by the excellent work that the fire fighters at Leek do - not just in putting out fires but also in fire prevention and the other incidents whether in case of floods or road traffic accidents."