Stefan Mannion and Barbara Botsford with art restorer Lucia Scalisi

THE “Holloway heroes” of Holloway Fire Station featured in an episode of The Repair Shop this week.

On Wednesday, firefighter Stefan Mannion, alongside Cadet Instructor Barbara Botsford, appeared in the BBC’s long-running show, featuring old items in need of a touch of TLC, to have a very special painting restored.

Ms Botsford and Mr Mannion told the show’s art restorer Lucia Scalisi their painting came from the mental wellbeing garden at the fire station.

“It’s a nice place for if you’ve come back after a busy shift,” said Mr Mannion of the garden, where the painting is the “centrepiece” alongside a water feature and fish.

“After bad incidents you can go in the garden have a coffee have a chat.”

He described how the area was instrumental in supporting firefighters after they returned from the tragedy at Grenfell Tower in 2017 and the Wennington wildfires of 2022.

The painting after its restoration

Since 2019, the painting has been outside after the garden was created by retired Holloway firefighter Colin Jones, who also painted the enormous artwork.

“It’s nice to have somewhere like that to go back and then just massively decompress and breathe and then reset for the next one,” Mr Mannion added.

“That’s why we take so much pride in our garden and our mental wellbeing space.”

When the restored painting was presented to the firefighters at the end of the show, there were tears.

“It’s a unique piece, “ said Ms Botsford, who trains the cadets at the station and has volunteered at the station for more than 10 years.

“We want it to always be there for the team that come after us. As a Fire Cadet Instructor and mother of a dedicated leading firefighter, I’ve witnessed first-hand the unwavering dedication and support of London Fire Brigade.

“The assistance they provide our Cadets with is invaluable, so to express our gratitude I arranged for the restoration of this unique painting at the station.”