Harborough primary school forced to cancel its popular bonfire and fireworks display for the third year running

A Market Harborough primary school has cancelled its traditional bonfire and fireworks display amid the Covid pandemic for the third year running.

The Parent, Teachers and Friends Association (PTFA) of St Joseph’s Catholic Voluntary Academy on Coventry Road said they have been forced to take the “very difficult decision” to scrap this year’s Guy Fawkes extravaganza.

But the “devastated” group said they would have had to seriously limit the number of spectator and the way volunteers were able to work to try to adhere to Government Covid rules and regulations.

The popular annual event off Coventry Road has been staged for over 30 years – and regularly draws large crowds.

But it was called off last year because of the coronavirus outbreak and it was thwarted by bad weather in 2019.

Vowing to bounce back in style next November, St Joseph’s PTFA said today: “After a very difficult 18 months for all charities and fundraisers, St Joseph’s PTFA have taken the very difficult decision to not proceed with our annual bonfire and fireworks display in 2021.

“In a normal year the event requires a huge effort in terms of organising, logistics and volunteers, not just from within our own school and PTFA, but the wider local community including the Scouts, Round Table and WW Browns Builders to name just a few involved.

“To run the event in 2021 would have seen a restriction in how our volunteers are able to work, no feasible catering provision and a limit to how many spectators we would be able to permit entry to, to ensure that we remained ‘Covid safe’ and operated within Government guidance,” they said.

“This is then all subject to the weather on the day itself and as a small PTFA, we cannot sensibly at this time, take the risk of the event having to be cancelled at the last minute due to adverse weather conditions.

“Whilst we are as a PTFA devastated not to be able to run this fantastic event that has been happening for over 30 years, we are determined that we will return in November 2022 after a three-year hiatus.

“We hope that the wider Market Harborough community and businesses will continue to support us in 2022 by offering sponsorship to put on the event, volunteering in some way and by purchasing a ticket on the night to watch the event.

“We will be back!’