More than £200 has been raised by fire service staff to support young people from the LGBT community.

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service commissioned special badges, showing the service’s crest twinned with the rainbow flag, for this year’s LGBT History Month, which took place in February.

Staff paid £10 to purchase a badge to show their support to equality.

The money raised from the badges was donated to The Kite Trust, a charity based in Cambridge that helps support LGBT young people.

Equality and inclusion advisor, Alison Scott, said: “We’ve supported LGBT History Month for many years in a variety of ways, from flying the rainbow flag at stations to staff wearing rainbow boot laces and lanyards. This year we wanted to do something different and to directly help people from the LGBT community.

“The concept for the badges came from a similar idea that was used for Remembrance Day, where the badge was place alongside a poppy. Staff have been very supportive of the badges, wearing them proudly around our headquarters and at stations.”

Executive director for The Kite Trust, Lara Jaffey, added: “As a local charity we are always very humbled when organisations spend energy and time raising money for us. We are hugely grateful to Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service for raising £220 during LGBT History month for The Kite Trust.

“We are a local grassroots charity supporting young lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people, and this money goes directly towards supporting the emotional health and wellbeing of our members. We offer group and one to one support to LGBT+ young people and £220 goes a long way in helping us provide these vital services.”