More than 25,000 people attend Carlisle Fireshow
Last updated at 10:19, Monday, 09 November 2009
Explosions of colour filled the skies over Carlisle as more than 25,000 people gathered to watch the city’s annual fire show.
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Video:
Carlisle Fireshow 2009
Saturday’s spectacular was hailed a success, despite earlier fears it would have to be cancelled after a week of heavy rain.
Families travelled far and wide for the bonfire and display of more than 2,000 fireworks.
Based on the theme of Love Carlisle, the centrepiece was a giant flaming heart between a reconstruction of the Citadel.
Lasting more than an hour, the show was hosted by ITV’s Phillippa Tomson and Workington panto star Billy Walker.
Host Billy, who will play Captain Cockle in this year’s Sands Centre pantomime – Dick Whittington and the Pirate Adventure – had a great time. Audience members had the chance to take part by sending text messages to the presenters.
He said: “It’s fabulous – and the best thing about it for me is that things like this keep people coming back to Cumbria. I don’t live around here any more and being from Workington it’s really good to get a chance like this.”
The actor and model will return to Workington on November 22, when he appears at the Christmas lights switch-on with Blue Peter presenter Helen Skelton.
Fireshow organiser Gill Burns was delighted with the turnout, after a nervewracking spate of bad weather.
She said: “I thought it was an absolutely brilliant show – really one of the best we’ve done. I thought the build was superb, a really good interpretation of what we wanted to get across, and after days of gruelling weather the conditions were absolutely perfect.”
Firework experts the Black Powder Monkeys had a tough week preparing the park and laying out 1,400 pallets for the bonfire.
The crowd, however, was slightly smaller than in previous years, said Gill, after a rainy day and rumours the event had been cancelled.
She added: “We had an emergency meeting with the safety team and we all felt confident to go on with the show, although it was a very close shave.
“But in the end we were very pleased with it – there were no major incidents, no lost children and all the services were happy too.”
The show was free to attend, but volunteers from Carlisle South Rotary Club collected money at the gates for the Mayor of Carlisle’s charity.
First published at 14:37, Sunday, 08 November 2009
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk
Still no one has said exactly how much the council spends on the fireshow - way too much I can assure you. I wonder how many of the 25,000 people who attended put anything in the charity buckets!!
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Sorry Andrew perhaps my English is not as good as yours, but to say I am talking rubbish, shows your ignorance of the event and I do assure you that these walks do cause alienation to the Catholic race. I witnessed someone being called a Fenian B****** on that day simply for wearing green. Ironic really turned out he was wearing the Northern Ireland football shirt, I somehow do not think this was just coincidence. But I am sure you understand my point!
Posted by The Quiet One on 12 November 2009 at 21:59