A BELOVED Bonfire Night fireworks display in an English seaside town has been permanently cancelled over growing safety concerns.
The hosts expressed “considerable regret” over the decision to axe the event after more than four decades.
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A beloved Bonfire Night event has been permanently cancelled in a seaside town. Credit: Alamy
Hosted annually by the fire service, growing health and safety concerns led to the decision Credit: Alamy
The annual event, organised by Falmouth Fire Station and hosted at the Falmouth Cricket Club, will now be permanently cancelled over growing health and safety concerns.
Running for over 40 years, the November event saw thousands of visitors flocking to the yearly display and brought in hundreds of thousands of pounds for local charities.
The event was called off ahead of Bonfire Night last year, with the fire services citing safety risks as cause for the cancellation, but it has now been announced that the display will not return for good.
In a post to Facebook, Falmouth Fire Station announced it has made the “difficult decision” to permanently shut down the event, expressing “considerable regret” over the news.
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The fire station revealed that changing health and safety regulations associated with hosting an event of this size had become too complex, and they felt organisers with more specialist expertise would be better suited to running the display.
“The regulatory and legislative landscape surrounding large-scale public events has changed significantly in recent years,” read the post.
It continued: “While these changes are both necessary and welcomed in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of attendees, they have also increased the complexity, responsibility, and operational requirements associated with delivering an event of this scale.
“After careful consideration, it is the view of the crews involved that future events of this nature are now more appropriately managed by professional event organisers with the specialist expertise, infrastructure, and resources required to meet these obligations fully.”
The crew lamented the loss of the popular community event that had “been a much-loved part of the local calendar” and expressed its thanks to all the attendees, volunteers, sponsors, supporters and contributors over the past four decades.
Many locals commenting on the post were sad to see the beloved Bonfire Night tradition go, and sent their praises to the fire service for its commitment to organising the event each year.
“The firework display was a huge part of Falmouth’s social calendar, it will be sorely missed,” wrote one resident.
Another added: “The best memories of fireworks night organised by you guys, thank you!”
Looking forward, the fire service stated it would “wholeheartedly support” any alternative arrangements that could be made to keep the yearly tradition continuing.
Public firework displays continue to pose challenges to organisers, particularly following the introduction of stricter government legislation introduced last year.
As per guidance from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the use of fireworks in a public place, street or thoroughfare is prohibited under the Explosives Act 1875.
Fireworks may only be set off between the hours of 7am and 11pm, however there are some exceptions.
On Bonfire Night the cut off is pushed back to midnight, and for New Year’s Eve, Diwali and Chinese New Year, fireworks may be set off until 1am.
For public firework displays, organisers must contact the local council to see if a permit is needed to run the event, and they must consult with the fire brigade and police at least a week prior to the event.
A full risk assessment must be carried out and qualified first aiders must be present on site.
