AS a tribute to the Fire Service that saved the building, the first exhibition for the official re- opening of the Callington Heritage Centre will be about fire in the town and the fire brigade. The re-opening takes place on Saturday, April 12 at 10am. Steve Brown, the divisional commander for the Fire Service, will perform the opening. Lynda Small, chairman of the centre, said that without the fire service's swift action on March 4 2007 the town would not have a heritage centre to restore. 'One insurance assessor was amazed they had entered a burning building to protect the contents when there was no life at risk.' Ms Small said the fact that the centre could re- open after only 13 months was due to everyone who donated money and all who gave their time to help restore everything. 'Anyone who saw the heartbreaking devastation of the fire could not have believed a complete resurrection was possible. 'It has been a real community effort and we hope that everyone comes to see what they have achieved,' she said. The restoration work has not been fully completed, but the centre is in a position to re-open. The exhibition, which was researched with the help of ex-fireman Les Pierce, will include details of the disastrous church fire of 1895, the local trader's horse that had to be borrowed to tow the fire appliance, onlookers being roped in to pump the appliance, a dustcart pulling the pump, the destruction of a large manor house near Callington, the great Kelly Bray fire and the fire at the fire station itself. There are also stories of rescues from mines, people stuck in the mud and even a cow that got stuck up a tree. Firemen's clothing from Victorian times to the very latest equipment will be on display, together with information on the active role women have played in the fire service since the second world war. The exhibition will continue until July 13. There will be small additional exhibitions on the Saltash Road School, the Callington passenger railway, Old Cornwall and 50 years of the brassiere. After the official opening, the centre will be open every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday from 10am to 4pm until the end of October. Entry is free.