IT was the day little Bilal Mohammed put his toys aside and donned a real fireman's hat... rode in a real fire engine with siren blaring... and saw make-believe turn into reality when the alarm sounded and his new friends sped away with a real job to do.

What a day of excitement it turned out to be for Bilal, aged eight, of Robertson Street, Radcliffe. The youngster, who suffers from a severe neuro-degenerative disorder which drastically reduces life expectancy, enjoyed the treat of his short lifetime when he was given a guided tour of Whitefield Fire Station.

A pupil at Gorsefield County Primary School in Radcliffe, Bilal, pictured with Firefighter Paul Dugdale, has always wanted to be a fireman when he grows up. He regularly plays with his fireman's toys, but this time it was the real thing. The tour of the station included a ride in a fire engine, complete with blaring siren, and he looked the part, too, wearing a fireman's uniform throughout the visit.

Firemen invited him to try his hand at a range of firefighting activities. Spraying a car with a water-jet was good fun and he clambered up ladders like a true professional. But the most dramatic part of the tour was not even planned. Just as Bilal was being shown how firemen respond when they are called out, they really WERE called out!

So he saw them at work first-hand as they hurried to a fire engine and sped from the station.

The visit was made complete when Bilal was presented with a souvenir fireman's playset.

His mother, Mrs Nahid Mohammed, said: "Bilal is a clever boy, everyone loves him at school, and he is popular everywhere. But he can't do some of the normal things that people do. He is a lovely boy and enjoyed going round the station. We are trying to make sure he enjoys his life as much as he can."

And, with this in mind, Bilal is off to the USA in November for a dream trip to Disneyland.

Credit for organising the tour goes to staff at Bury Council's social services and Whitefield Fire Station, who teamed up to provide Bilal with an exciting experience.

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