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Bilton Cricket Club cancels fireworks display

Bilton Cricket Club has cancelled its annual fireworks display.

The club issued a statement today saying restrictions imposed on the event “would severely impact our ability to operate the event in the way we want to” and it was therefore left with no choice but to cancel.

The event, which is usually held annually at the club’s ground on Bilton Lane, was due to take place on November 5.

Its Facebook post said:

“Over the last few days the club has been under immense pressure to cover off all demands from all authorities regarding the fireworks display planned for next Friday.

“We believed we had covered all areas but further requests and demands have been made which has lead to some restrictions imposed which would severely impact our ability to operate the event in the way we want to, and have done in the past.

“Therefore the committee has made the hard decision to cancel the fireworks display planned for the evening of Friday 5 November.

“This decision has not been made lightly and obviously we would love to provide this event for members and community.

“I am really very very sorry we are cancelling this but without going into too many facts we really have no other option.”

The news comes as bonfire and firework events elsewhere look set to resume after covid forced them to be cancelled last year.

Stray bonfire organisers appeal for more donations

The organisers of the 50th anniversary charity bonfire and fireworks on the Stray have appealed for more donations to ensure a successful event in nine days time.

An online gofundme page set up by Harrogate and District Round Table has so far attracted £1,220 in donations towards a goal of £8,000 with just over a week to go until the event on Saturday, November 6.

There will be a bucket fundraising collection on the night and people will be encouraged to text to donate £5. But with the current total being so short of the goal, the organisers have appealed for a flurry of online donations over the next week.

The event is organised by volunteers, who try to keep costs low but they have to spend money on fireworks, transportation of pallets and road traffic management.

The £8,000 figure is how much the event costs to put on, and the Round Table always donates any profits to charity. This year’s charity is the Friends of Harrogate Hospital.

John Carter, who is in charge of organising the bonfire for the Round Table this year, told the Stray Ferret:

“We are going to put on a big bonfire and fireworks display. We hope people will enjoy the event after a pretty miserable 18 months.

“There is the online fundraiser but we will have lots of bucket shaking on the night as well as the text to donate. It is the first time we have done the online fundraiser.

“Over the years the amount we have raised on the night has dwindled as people don’t tend to carry cash so we are encouraging donations in other ways.”

Stray bonfire and fireworks officially given go-ahead

The 50th Stray bonfire will take place on November 6 after Harrogate Borough Council gave organisers the green light.

The Stray Ferret revealed last month the event was set to go ahead. Now the news has been confirmed.

Harrogate District Round Table was forced to cancel last year’s display due to coronavirus restrictions but it is now preparing for the event to return at its usual spot alongside Oatlands Drive.

Round Table volunteers hope to raise £8,000 to pay for fireworks and additional costs, such as first aid and traffic management, and have set up a gofundme page.

Any extra money generated though the fundraiser, and on the night, will go to Friends of Harrogate Hospital.

A spokesperson for Harrogate District Round Table said:

“This will be the 50th year Harrogate Round Table has run the Stray charity bonfire and fireworks event and, with your help, we want to run an amazing event the whole community can enjoy.”

Ripon firm warns of New Year’s Eve firework shortages

A Ripon firm has warned people planning New Year’s Eve fireworks to stock up now because the supply chain crisis gripping the UK could lead to shortages.

Steve Raper, a consultant for Brightstar Fireworks in Melmerby, near Ripon, and chair of the British Fireworks Association told the Stray Ferret that a combination of factors, including driver shortages, high demand, extreme weather and even the 100th anniversary of the formation of the Chinese Communist Party were to blame.

Brightstar imports about 120 shipping containers of fireworks every year from China, which closed many factories over summer due to extreme heat.

The country’s leader Xi Jinping gave factory workers time off to celebrate the communist party’s anniversary, which has further squeezed the supply chain.

Mr Raper said the United States also lit more fireworks than usual for a bumper July 4th celebration this year.

He said:

“It’s not all doom and gloom but it’s bad. People will have to go out early and order their fireworks earlier from their supplier.

“We won’t see a major impact over bonfire season, it will be around New Year.”

Mr Raper said covid led to increased demand for fireworks last year, which had led to supply issues this year.

He said the cost of importing a shipping container had also increased from around £8,000 to over £30,000.

He added:

“Because of covid, everybody was locked down hacked off and depressed, so they let fireworks off in their garden. There was lots of knock on effects. The demand was immense.

“However I’d much prefer to see a shortage of fireworks than health or medical supplies.

“The industry is doing everything it can to meet that demand.”

Ripon rocks and sparkles on a night of music and fireworks

Ripon rocked last night, as a large crowd massed on Market Square for an evening of music and entertainment.

The finale was a spectacular fireworks display that lit-up the night sky above the city’s elegant town hall.

A five-hour programme started with talented local singer-songwriter Freddie Cleary and ended with a convincing Freddie Mercury sound-alike.

Tribute acts had the audience singing along to Elton John’s ‘I’m Still Standing’ Amy Winehouse’s ‘Rehab’ and Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody‘ among many other iconic British pop songs.

In a county where Tykes are known for their care when it comes to money — the icing on the Yorkshire Day Weekend cake, was the fact that it was all for free.

With the covid lockdown lifted, hundreds came to let their hair down on Market Square.

The day of fun for all the family, organised by Ripon City Council, was the first large-scale event to be held in the city since the coronavirus pandemic brought an abrupt end to all public gatherings.

From 2pm until 8pm, children with their parents and grandparents had Market Square North to themselves, as two free fairground rides and a climbing wall ensured enjoyment for all families, without the need to reach into purses and pockets.

The rides were still spinning as the music started on the stage in front of Ripon Town Hall.

Ripon-based singer-songwriter and acoustic guitarist Freddie Cleary was the opening act.

Freddie Cleary, singing some of his own songs and a selection of favourite tunes, was followed by the Elton John tribute act, with white piano in what was a fitting celebration of one of Britain’s best-known musical Knights.

The tribute performed hit after hit from Sir Elton’s songbook.

Before the Elton John tribute did his second set, an Amy Winehouse look and sound-alike sang in the distinctive style of the late legend.

Then came the finale and a scintillating rendition of the songs made famous by rock legend Freddie Mercury.

An emotional and power-packed tribute to Amy Winehouse, who died ten years ago

The Queen tribute act front man had the audience wrapped in the palm of his hands, as he sang ‘Don’t Stop Me Now.’

For the citizens of Ripon, the free entertainment continues today as the fairground rides and climbing wall will be open from 10am until 4pm.

Rock and rockets around the Ripon Town Hall Clock

And parents who saved money on the free rides may be spending some of it at the Little Bird Artisan Market, that will be open on Market Square South from 10am until 3pm.

Insurance problems make Stray bonfire event a ‘huge gamble’

Organisers behind the annual bonfire and firework display on the Stray fear that putting the event on this year would be a “huge gamble”.

The Harrogate District Round Table, which was forced to postpone its 50th anniversary display last year, is currently weighing up the risks.

Although all coronavirus restrictions are set to be lifted well before November, large event organisers are struggling to find insurance in case they need to cancel again.

This has prompted many to postpone plans for another year.

So the round table, which is a charity run by men aged between of 18 and 45, may have to spend thousands of pounds that it may never get back.

The charity was unable to hold its annual beer festival this year so it has already missed out on an opportunity to generate income.

Ben Taylor, who works to recruit new members, told the Stray Ferret:

“We are currently working with Harrogate Borough Council. If we submit plans now then they have to follow all the social distancing guidelines in place currently.

“So we will have to wait until the restrictions ease before we do anything.

“I think it is fair to say that it is a risk putting the event on this year because there is no protection. It’s a huge gamble really.”

The round table is also on the lookout for new members. The group is for young men to make friends and help the local community. Interested? Click here.

‘Shameful’ fireworks in Stainburn Forest highlight danger to animals

Discarded fireworks found this morning at a local beauty spot have highlighted the dangers of fireworks to livestock and wildlife.

Twitter user YorkshireRelic photographed this image of the fireworks, which appear to have been discarded at the rural location between Beckwithshaw and Fewston last night.

The forest is home to wildlife, including deer and several bird species. Sheep graze in nearby fields. It is also popular with walkers and mountain bikers.

YorkshireRelic, who described themselves to the Stray Ferret as a local resident and dog-walker, tweeted:

“Bet the poor sheep just hated their evening. Someone could have cleaned up at least. Quite shameful.”

Conservative Washburn councillor Victoria Oldham, who is also a farmer, said the fireworks posed a risk to animals.

She told the Stray Ferret:

“Fireworks are a potential danger to livestock and although the ground is sodden at the moment and the chances of fire are unlikely, it’s always something to be born in mind.”

According to a 2019 survey carried out by the British Veterinary Association, around 1 in 14 vets reported seeing animals with firework-related injuries over the course of a year.

Tonight is bonfire night and although all public celebrations have been cancelled due to the lockdown, Harrogate Borough Council advised people to recycle discarded fireworks.

The council tweeted:

“Please do not put fireworks in the bin. All used and unused fireworks should be taken to your local household waste recycling centre where they will be disposed of safely.”

Blow for Tockwith as firework display cancelled

Firework displays will be in short supply this year after social distancing regulations prevented many of them from going ahead.

This comes as a double blow for Tockwith and District Agricultural Society, which organises the event.

The annual agricultural show was cancelled in August, and this is the second year in a row the fireworks display has not gone ahead, thanks to poor weather conditions in 2019.

Norman Waller, who represents Marston Moor on Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“Unfortunately because of safety issues and our inability to organise refreshments or catering, there will be no bonfire and firework display. Obviously we are devastated, as in normal times it is a key fundraiser to help with cash flow for the staging of the show.

This combined with the cancellation of other fundraising events this year [means] we forecast that potentially we have lost income in the region of £8,000.”

Meanwhile, the annual Harrogate Charity Stray Bonfire has already postponed its 50th anniversary bonfire until 2021. Now many other organisers in the district are following suit.

The Stray Ferret spoke to groups that have previously organised an annual fireworks display, and nine organisers have confirmed that due to coronavirus they have cancelled this year’s display. We could not find any which were still expecting to go ahead.

Among the firework displays to be cancelled are those at Bilton Cricket Club, Lightwater Valley, Scotton Cricket Club and Stockeld Park.

Fireworks season could be worst for animals in decades

Fireworks displays in the Harrogate district may have been cancelled this year but a local vet and the RSPCA have warned it could still be the worst period for pets in decades.

The absence of large organised events is expected to lead to an increase in backyard firework displays, bringing noise much closer to pets at home.

Katy Bell, a vet at the Rae, Bean & Partners practice in Boroughbridge told the Stray Ferret:

“A big display will be organised on a certain date, at a certain time, so pet owners can be prepared for that event.

“However, if home-organised events can be a lot more spread out over an evening, and have a bigger negative impact on the animal.”

Ms Bell encourages worried pet owners to start preparing now: she advised playing firework training CDs to pets in the run-up to November 5, starting at a low volume and increasing as necessary.

On Bonfire Night itself, Ms Bell recommends not leaving your pet alone, and ensuring it has somewhere safe and dark to hide.

A RSPCA spokesperson said this fireworks season could be the worst for animals in decades.

The charity advised pet owners to close windows and curtains to muffle noise, and bring smaller pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs inside.

Around 62% of dogs and 54% of cats in the UK show signs of anxiety when they hear fireworks, according to the RSPCA.

Fire services’ advice

Station manager Tony Peel, from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said bonfire night was usually a quiet one for fire services in the county “and we’d love it to be the same this year”. He added:

“Please follow our safety tips if you are planning a display at home and help reduce the pressure not only on the fire service, but also on our colleagues in the ambulance service and police.

“Some people and animals are scared by firework noise so if you’re planning to let off fireworks please tell your neighbours and avoid buying really noisy ones.”

Mr Peel said anyone planning a home display should ensure it finishes before 11pm, always light the firework at arms length and only buy fireworks that carry the CE mark.

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Fire services’ advice