Remember, Remember...Firework Safety -

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Sunday night is Bonfire Night in the Uk – the ‘celebration’ of Guy Fawkes and his gang of conspirators who attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament on November 5th in 1605. I think we’re actually celebrating the fact that the plot was foiled rather than the people themselves (because that would be weird, right?), but whatever – it’s a good excuse to let off a few pretty fireworks and build giant bonfires.

For the next few nights, there will be the sounds of fireworks whizzing and whistling and banging and the smell of fire and smoke in the air. Up until quite recently, I’d never enjoyed bonfire night – we had too many daft gangs of kids throwing fireworks about behind our house, but where we live now, we quite like it.

We won’t be doing anything to celebrate at home because we live in a really quiet little area which is predominately elderly people, and there are lots of dog owners. It wouldn’t be fair to disturb them with fireworks in our own garden, although we may buy some sparklers for the kids. Instead, we will be heading to some organised firework displays on Penmaenmawr and Llanfairfechan beach on Friday and Saturday night, as we did last year. We can sit in our car, or stand on the prom and watch the goings on from a safe distance, which I always think is the best way to enjoy fireworks.

Optical Express is asking people to be super careful with fireworks – every year, around 10 people in the UK lose their sight thanks to accidents and more than 300 receive serious eye injuries. In the excitement of a firework display at home, it’s all too easy to let standards slip and before you know it, someone is hurt. To keep yourself and others safe, here are a few things to keep in mind:

Firework Safety Tips

Only buy fireworks from a reputable retailer – make sure they have the British Standard Safety Code BS7114 on the box. If you’re not sure if they’re legit, don’t buy them.
Light fireworks at arm’s length with a taper and stand well back
Never ever return to a lit firework, even if it hasn’t gone off. It might still explode!
Keep pets safe – put them inside the house and keep doors and windows shut
Keep the fireworks stored safely away until they need to be used and only take out one at a time
If you choose to use sparklers with children, make sure they are closely supervised and wearing gloves
Hold the sparklers at arm’s length and never touch the end of them, even when they have gone out. They’ll still be red hot!
Keep a bucket of water to the side to put the sparklers in once they have finished.