Bonfire blues

I saw today that one of the biggest supermarkets in the UK are not going to be selling fireworks this year. Thank you for this. I really don’t like fireworks.

Each year I have been here in my forever home I have regularly taken cover in a safe place, often numerous times a day, when the 5th November approaches. Thankfully Lenny doesn’t seem to be affected as much as I am, however we will have to wait for evidence closer to the day. We are keeping our fingers crossed he is ok.

It seems that instead of having fireworks on one day to “celebrate” the death of a man 414 years ago, now we are having them to “celebrate” New Year, New Years Eve, Christmas, Boxing Day, May Bank Holiday, Summer Solstice, Hallowe’en, auntie Maude coming over to lunch and little Edward passing his school exams amongst a great many other occasions.

Don’t get me wrong, if people want to have them at licensed displays in the park or on the local village green on the closest weekend to 5th November, then go for it. I can live with that for 1 night. However, selling fireworks to the general public seems to me to be a bit dangerous, and maybe could be controlled better. Each year we hear of sad instances where people are injured or killed by “stray” fireworks. Sometimes we hear of fatalities with them being thrown or aimed at people.

The number of people and animals that suffer each year seems to be increasing. It cannot be good for people who suffer from conditions such as PTSD to have so many occasions where they are hearing such loud bangs going off so regularly. With the advent of social media there is a greater understanding of the number of people who suffer with stress related conditions. Also the number of animals who suffer, sometimes due to an inbuilt fear but other times due to previous experience, seems to be on the rise. Again maybe it is the ease with with the reporting of the street of the animal can be made to the wider public.

If you are going to use fireworks to “celebrate” an occasion please think of those around you before gleefully going to buy them. Many suffer, sometimes in silence, during the firework season.

Here’s a thought. Instead of buying them for yourselves, go along to an organised licensed display and make an equal contribution to the charity which will likely be attached to the organisers. You could be helping others, whilst having fun yourself. And if it is a local village event, you could go to the pub, buy hot dogs and candy floss for the children and thereby contribute to the local economy.