Sunday, November 08, 2009

ROCKY WHIZZ BANGS AND GLOW STICKS

Apropos my last post Guy Fawkes Pyrotechnics, there was an organized community fireworks display last night, Saturday the 7th November, which took place in a new location.  As long as I have lived here, (a good chunk of my adult life) the bonfire with effigy and the fireworks were set up on the beach well away from buildings.  There could be little difficulties if the tide had not gone out quite at the time the bangs and whizzes were meant to start.  Nevertheless, it always seemed to work out.  A  quick clean up afterwards was part of the arrangement.

Families and individual would arrive for the fun, drop a donation into one of the many orange and yellow buckets being waved about on the route to the entry point.  For further fund raising, the kids could buy glow sticks.  All the money collected is donated to local charities.

This year, is where health and safety has arrived. There was  some concern about the bonfire on the beach last year, when there was, unfortunately, a mismatch in the tidal tables and the performing of the celebrations. I could understand this if people were milling about on the beach, they were not.  They always stayed firmly on the concrete of the esplanade.  The only people on the beach, were those few people who were authorised to manage the pyrotechnical displays. A couple of them were trained firemen. 

Because of the health and safety issues, the spectacle has now moved to one of the harbours where there are sharp and dangerous rocks but no beach.  There is a walkway and a car park.  The area is surrounded by houses, apartments, a furniture store and a local fish market.  Personally, I cannot understand why this location should be approved as healthy and safe for the pyrotechnical exhibition.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

It all seemed very low-key here this year, not I mind much as fireworks today are much too loud and expensive.
In your case it seems that H&S concerns overlooked any commonsense practicality, which isn't really surprising! Flighty xx

ZACL said...

Hi Mr F

I wonder if we will get the dribs and drabs of fireworks that tend to continue after the main events.

You will have Diwali celebrations with masses of firework displays, we don't experience that.

As the economic situation develops, I guess there will be less cash for discretionary spending.

xx

adamantixx said...

you got off lightly!
i heard about one community bonfire that had fallen victim to H&S rules&regulation so instead they erected a huge screen showing a blazing bonfire for people to watch while they stood in a freezing, muddy field.

ZACL said...

A huge screen depicting a bonfire, that is bizarre - Orwell would have revelled in that sort of control celluloid activity.

I wouldn't bother to stay to watch something like a screened bonfire; these days, the event is about experiencing and sharing (mostly) light, warmth, glow and whizz bangs. What I appreciate is another matter, but I would not appreciate that kind of constraint. You can't fire and bake a potato on a screen picture. Doh!