We all love the firework display with the aerials and loud bangs, and the procession with the lit torches and music from the marching bands but ‘Bonfire’, by definition, needs a bonfire and Newick Bonfire Society has always prided itself by building a traditional bonfire on the Green.
The current bonfire team have all been involved in various aspects of preparation for our annual Bonfire celebrations for a number of years and have specifically learned how to build the traditional bonfire with the knowledge and skills passed on from the previous bonfire captains and senior society members.
We often start the annual preparations helping the Torch team cutting torch sticks in the woods and looking for the key timbers for the centre pole and frame of the bonfire. Around two weeks before the main event we identify sources for all the other material for the bonfire and one week before the event bring it all to the Green. It’s about 8 large trailer loads of brush and absolutely NO machined wood, such as old fences and sheds etc. and you will not find a pallet anywhere ! We also avoid thorny materials as the fire is built by hand.
On the Friday before Bonfire, we start early to build the frame with the centre pole about 5 foot into the ground and the frame around this about 6 foot off the ground. This can’t be done without the help of a number of other society members that every year offer their time and help whatever the weather ! The finished bonfire is around 35 foot high and the excitement grows as we see the finished bonfire around 2pm. In between times, the tea ladies have fed us bacon butties, cups of tea and there are always Cakes and rock buns to keep us going to the end.
All around us during this time other Society members and teams are erecting fencing, building the Clergy stand and preparing for the Fireworks it really is quite an atmosphere – We hope you enjoy it and maybe even want to join the Society and be a part of it.