Annual Charity Bonfire & Fireworks
2003
The Sele
THOUSANDS FLOCK TO FIREWORKS SPECTACLE

By Staff Reporter
Published in The Hexham Courant - Friday, 14th November 2003

HEXHAM resounded to spontaneous cheering and applause on Saturday night as thousands showed their appreciation for Hexham Round Table's fireworks spectacular.
An estimated 12,000 people poured into the town for the annual bonfire and fireworks night, and were rewarded with the biggest and best display yet.
The icing on the cake was the fact that the event raised over £12,500 from donations and food sales. All of the profits will be distributed among Tynedale charities.
Members of Hexham Round Table had spent most of the day building ­ and then guarding ­ what was probably the biggest bonfire in Tynedale.
That night, it burnt all the more brightly thanks, among other things, to five tons of tar-impregnated wood from a demolished jetty.
The highlight, though, was without doubt the fireworks display, presented by the renowned Kimbolton Fireworks team.
One member of the audience said that he had been in Plymouth this summer for the World Fireworks Championships, and the display in Hexham was every bit as good.
Hexham Round Table chairman Rob Hart, said: "It was fantastic. All of the feedback we've had has been very positive ­ we've been told it was the best display ever.
"The team from Kimbolton said Hexham was one of their favourite displays in the country.
"They like the backdrop to it, the fact it is in open park land, with the Abbey in the background.
"They also like the fact that the audience is so appreciative.
"Hexham is the furthest afield they travel for the least amount of money. 
"In terms of fireworks displays, it is relatively small compared to the ones they do in places like Manchester and Glasgow, but they enjoy it more than anything here."
For members of the Round Table and Hexham Ladies' Circle alike, Saturday started early and finished late.
Besides bonfire building, the day's duties included preparing 1,200 bread rolls and 60 lbs of onions for the hotdog stall, boiling up gallons of soup, constructing the three stalls to sell food and glow bands, collecting donations, selling food and glow bands, marshalling the actual event, and then ­ after everybody else had gone home ­ taking everything down again.
Tablers and Circlers then adjourned, accompanied by liberal supplies of pizza, beer and wine, to count up the takings.
Even with a room-full of families counting, bagging and weighing, Saturday was turning into Sunday before the £12,500 in coins were ready for banking.
Once costs have been deducted, the bulk of that money will be donated to local charities.
During the past couple of years alone, the Round Table and Ladies' Circle have supported, among others, Tynedale Hospice, Brave Hearts of the North-East which recognises the courage of children facing serious illness or adversity, the Calvert Trust in Kielder, which provides holidays and respite for special needs children and adults, StopGap, which provides accommodation for homeless people in Tynedale, the Rainbow Trust in Hexham, which supports families who have children with life-limiting illnesses, and a refuge for mothers and children facing domestic violence.
This year, as they did last year, members invited a local charity to man one of the stalls at the bonfire.
The Tynedale branch of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign did so, and raised over £500 for its own funds.
l A number of sponsors helped to make the event possible, including Northern Electric Distribution Limited, Thompson's of Prudhoe, Lord Tool Hire, Patterson Ford, Matthew Charlton, Fourstones Paper Mill, Hexham Abbey, British Red Cross, and Hexham Police, fire and ambulance services.