N.B This is the original post, written in 2016.

For the last three years I have considered writing this open letter but have put it aside, taking the view that others have made similar points and that in amongst the wealth of opinions and conversations out there in the ether my voice would likely go unheard.

I cannot ignore this any longer and am finally going to write it anyway.

My letter takes on two points:

1.) Why fireworks should be at the very least NOT AVAILABLE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC and at best, banned completely

2.) Why we should not be celebrating Bonfire Night, at least not in the way that we currently do, any more.

This is the point where I know a lot of you will say “miserable old cow wants to spoil everyone’s fun, bet she watched fireworks as a kid” or similar, and stop reading. Well that’s up to you, but if you can stick with me, I believe my reasons are valid.

·         Idiotic behaviour by irresponsible people, in a nutshell. Recent reports have shown the dangerous activities certain individuals have undertaken with fireworks in South Wales, throwing them at people and in one incident injuring a two year old girl. In my own area I can confirm that people have been setting off fireworks in the neighbourhood, on the fields, in local garages and even throwing them into bins outside houses, for at least 6 weeks BEFORE Bonfire Night this year (the date as I write is October 30th and I am already mightily sick of fireworks!) I don’t for one minute believe this is just an issue in South Wales. Please, please comment below with your experiences in your area.

·         ‘Grade’ of Firework available – police are concerned that the grade and strength if you will, of fireworks being used by the public is too powerful and capable of causing immense damage. It is only a matter of time before someone is killed. For the sake of a minute or two of supposed ‘fun.’ The hard part about this of course, is that they also think these fireworks are being bought online.

·         Lots of kids don’t like fireworks! Not every child sees Bonfire Night as fun. It can be a night of fear and nervousness for them too, not to mention the weeks either side of the night itself when people are STILL setting them off!

·         Pets – why should our poor animals go through this distress every year? They have no understanding of what is happening and for some of them it is a time of utter fear and misery. It wouldn’t be so bad if it was just on November 5th but as I have stated above, it isn’t! Many of them run away out of fear, some are never seen again – as a consequence of ‘fun.’ 2024 Edit - think also of the wildlife and farm animals in the environment that go through sheer terror every bonfire night.

·         Emergency Services – aren’t our poor, beleaguered Emergency Services up against it enough with endless cutbacks and understaffing, without adding the workload of unfortunate accidents and/or stupid, malicious incidents on and around Bonfire Night to their list of things to do? It has been reported on the news recently that some ambulance services have even had to temporarily relocate their vehicles and HQ to avoid being deliberately attacked by fireworks. One ex-services paramedic likened it to being under fire in an operational situation! Totally unacceptable! Not to mention the financial cost of these services having to attend when there is an accident – or a deliberate incident.

·         Environmental Hazard – when we are all constantly being told via the media, the government etc. that we should be more and more environmentally aware, how is it that no one seems to be looking into the negative effects of numerous fireworks and their debris upon the environment? I am no expert but I can’t believe for one minute that it is anything but damaging. Can anyone enlighten me on this?

·         Burning an Effigy – in 2016? (In 2024?) Really? Quite justifiably so, there was outrage, shock and horror when a poor Jordanian pilot was burned alive by Isis in 2015. Yet every year we encourage CHILDREN to mock up a human being and then burn it on what is essentially a pyre! If that is not hypocrisy, I don’t know what is! And we call it a celebration! Should we really be celebrating the horrific, painful death of Guy Fawkes,(who was not even burned incidentally, so it is not even historically correct) who, whatever else he was, was a real human being? I am a lover of history and I believe our children need to know the facts, as gruesome as they may have been. But there must be a better way to mark the occasion than this. Just to add, there are numerous jokes on the internet about how Guy Fawkes was the last person to enter parliament with honest intentions. That being the case, WHY do we celebrate his death every year? Is that not just another hypocrisy?

·         Hedgehogs – some experts reckon that hedgehogs may be extinct in the next 20 years or so. I am not for one minute suggesting not lighting bonfires on November 5th will turn this around, but it has got to help surely? How many of these poor creatures have burned to death because someone has forgotten to check the bonfire, or not had time to do it? How many other animals too I wonder?

WHAT RIGHT DO WE HAVE TO INFLICT SUCH PAIN, DAMAGE, FEAR AND DEATH ON WILD AND DOMESTIC ANIMALS, AS WELL AS SOME HUMAN BEINGS, FOR THE SAKE OF THIS OUTDATED CELEBRATION?

Now you would be right to call me a hypocrit based on what I have done in the past. We attended bonfires when the kids were little. Not so much the fireworks as my oldest was none too keen on them when he was small. We bought the odd packet of sparklers for sharing in the garden too – and there are stories of awful accidents taking place because of them too. It’s a fair cop guv- I am not denying it. However, since then I have grown, matured and become more aware. Were my kids still little now I am not at all sure I would bother with Bonfire Night.  More and more it presses on my conscience that we shouldn’t be doing this. In an age when we are supposed to be tolerant, fair-minded, environmentally minded and so on, that we keep inflicting this carnage on our own society year in year out makes less and less sense to me.

There must be a better way to mark the day. Something productive rather than destructive. Something that can help rather than hinder. Something that we can be proud of, rather than having to watch or read awful news reports about things that happened because of this so-called ‘celebration.’ Something like, I don’t know – community planting of trees or something, with a barbecue afterwards. Child-friendly events like storytelling in the woods by lamplight with a toffee apple to munch on the way home. Ok, they are off the top of my head – if you can do better (and I am sure you can,) comment below!

Anyway, that’s my tu’pennorth on the subject. Feel free to add your thoughts below.

Thank you.