Kibworth and Fleckney Rotary Club
At 5pm on Saturday night, 1 November, everything was ready for our annual bonfire and fireworks. The bonfire had been built with wood from the golf course and numerous pallets collected over the previous weeks. Crowd barriers had been put in place. The Guides, from Kibworth & Fleckney, were organised with their glow sticks, hot dogs and drinks for sale. An array of other hot food and wine & beer were available. Kids fairground rides had also been erected. Bright Spark Firework company had been setting up since late morning. The weather was clear, almost not a cloud in the sky, you could see the stars and the moon was rising, perfect, all we needed was a crowd!
Firework display
The Rotary Club have been involved with a firework display for nearly 35 years. Originally organised by the Scouts, and during that time the Rotarians only helped.
In the early days the Scout leaders and Rotarians let off the fireworks, but in recent years, that is since 2010, The Rotary Club took over the event, and a professional firework company took over the display. Since then, we have put on a professional display every year, bar 2020 when Covid hit, and 2023 when the field was waterlogged and we had to cancel.
Kibworth Guides
And so, at 5.30pm the gates opened. We then always hold our breath! Although our pre-sales usually cover our costs, the profit is dependent on others deciding to attend on the night. But once again we needn’t’t have worried! Over 1500 folk, families and friends were in place on the golf range by the time the bonfire was blazing. Everyone was ready for the display at 6.45. Sadly, it started to rain as the fireworks lit up the sky, but the rain didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd, who went away with smiles on their faces. By 10am on Sunday the bonfire was just ashes, the barriers taken away by Pete, one of the Kibworth Scout leaders, and the Fleckney Scouts helped pick up the litter. The golf range was then back in action with little evidence of the party the night before.
At the time of writing we are likely to have made a profit of over £6,000. THis will go to fund locally based youth activities and local Rotary projects. We thank all those who helped put this event together, especially the Kibworth Golf Club for allowing us to use their land and helping to prepare the site. Many thanks also to those who brought wood, and to Jim Tate for building and lighting the Bonfire (he has made sure our bonfire is part of the spectacle every year). We also thank Kibworth Post Office, Fleckney library, the Coach & Horses, and The Swan for selling tickets. And finally, we thank all those who supported us by attending and we hope we put on a good show.
Graham Thompson
Leicestershire Wildlife Hospital
