Monday, November 07, 2005
Guy Fawkes Night
Seaside spectacular!
What can one say about last night's fireworks display on the beach behind the Ocean Beach Pleisure Park? It was big, it was spectacular, it was popular, it was well received? Yes all of those!
You can also say it was the ONLY large scale organised fireworks display in South Shields, and there are reasons for this which I have explained earlier, much to do with Health and Safety and the official desire to severely limit our good citizens from organising any such events that might harm themselves or others.
You can also say that almost a third of the town's population made their way to the seafront for this "exclusive" event, causing a traffic gridlock almost as big as that experienced at the end of the Great North Run. It's a shame that it wasn't held on November 5th. (Saturday), because if it had been, parents would not have been in such a hurry to get the children home and into bed ready for school the following morning.
You can also say that some traditions attached to Guy Fawkes Night were sadly missing, there was no bonfire, nor a "Guy", such a shame, if this is to be the only such public event of it's type in the town. If the authorities are to continue with their efforts next year to virtually wipe out all private or smaller organised Guy Fawkes diplays (on the grounds of safety of course) then perhaps we could start planning to include a bonfire at next year's event - the remnants, if well supervised, could be quite quickly cleared away by Neighbourhood Services the following morning. Perhaps we could also start organising a competition between art students to produce the best Guy?
When I was a child we had an average of two or three bonfires in every back lane, yet we didn't burn the town down! The Fire Service in the 1960's certainly did not have the resource that they have now, yet every fire was dealt with (either by adult supervisors or the Fire Brigade) by morning. I'm not suggesting that we allow those practises to return, but a little loosening of the shackles would be welcome. Also in the 1960's fireworks were available in abundance and a number of accidents happened every year, at least the regulations governing the sale of fireworks have helped to prevent such accidents this year.
I would like to see the minimum age for purchasing fireworks raised to 21, and a rule enforced whereby registered retailers are not allowed to supply fireworks more than 14 days prior to November 5th. and December 31st. Nor would they be allowed to sell their remaining stocks after the said dates.
We can still manage to maintain the traditions of celebrating the discovery of the gunpowder plot, and include all of the elments that we enjoyed over the years, it just takes a "can do" attitude!
Fire crews in South Shields had one of the quietest bonfire nights on record, much because of the campaign organised by themselves in concert with the local Council and Northumbria Police - Read more.
I personally enjoyed last night's show and photographed it from a point on the South pier looking towards Trow Point, rather than joining in the crush on the covered promenade as I have done in past years.
Click the thumbnails to enlarge.
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