Picture: David Ward

Brockham Bonfire Celebrations
3rd November 2007

The Annual Brockham Bonfire brochure will have gone to the printers by the time you read this but you can still sponsor a firework, as an individual or family, but please hurry, a great opportunity for just £25.00.  Please call Doreen Bates today (01737 843 041). Brochures will be on sale in the shops and pubs.  The remainder will be sold on the night – is this a job you would be willing to undertake on our behalf?

The Bonfire Night celebrations will follow the traditional pattern, beginning with the torch light procession. The procession will start on the Village Green, and head north up Brockham Lane. Here it will about turn and head back over the Village Green, pass into Wheelers Lane, Wellhouse Lane and Middle Street before returning to the Green to light the Bonfire at 19.45. 

The car parks will all open by 17.00hrs.  It is our intention to encourage everyone into official car parks; this prevents cars parking on roads around the village (and pay for the fireworks) and should enable emergency service vehicles to access all parts of the village, should they be required.  As usual, please ask your houseguests to park off the road (or in official car parks) and to arrive before 17.00.  The Village Green and Borough Bridge (Kiln Lane junction) will close at 17.30.  In the interest of safety BROCKHAM LANE AT IT’S JUNCTION WITH THE A25 WILL CLOSE AT 17.30 AND REMAIN CLOSED UNTIL at least 22.30.  Access to Old School Lane, Wheelers Lane, Middle Street and Strood Green from Gadbrook Crossroads and all the roads leading from them will be restricted after 17.30.  No access to the Village Green by car will be possible after 17.30.

Kiln Lane will be one way with traffic flowing West to East from 17.30 until 22.30.  Naturally the Stewards will be as helpful as is practicable, but dozens of car drivers ALL have friends whose house they are trying to get to.  If you have difficulty in getting home from work before this time, send an e-mail to ntlcthines@aol.com with BONFIRE PASS in the subject line stating:

Name of Resident
Make of Car
Vehicle Registration number
Entry point, i.e. Brockham Lane, Strood Green, Old School Lane, Kiln Lane
Approximate time and Destination in Brockham.

Alternatively, if you have not got access to a computer, please phone 01737 842 974. Please only phone regarding passes between 18.00 and 20.00hrs. You may have to leave a message as we are busy in preparation for the bonfire. You can also collect a pass between 11.00 and 12.00 from the Bonfire Team on the Village Green on Saturdays and Sundays. No passes will be issued after 30th October. Your pass can be collected from the Hair Salon on Brockham Green

If you have to access Brockham Lane you will be held in Brockham Lane whilst the Procession passes.

If you have recently moved to the village or have lived here for years and feel able to assist in a big or small way - shaking collecting tins, stewarding  or selling brochures is a fun and rewarding way of spending a few hours, please give Doreen Bates a ring (01737 843 041).

Last year over £20,000 was given to local societies, charities and worthy causes.  We have a job for you!  Why not offer your assistance to ensure that Brockham benefits from Bonfire Night?
 

Fingers crossed for a dry week and Bonfire Night.

Brockham Bonfire Boys and Girls

We need you help

Your Village, Your Bonfire, Your Opportunity to become involved.

You may be new to Brockham, you may have made Brockham your home some time ago, you may be involved in the bonfire in some way already but we want you to become more involved in this wonderful community event.

What is it?
Bonfire Night in Brockham is the culmination of six weeks bonfire building, planning and preparation for one of the largest Guy Fawkes Night celebrations in the country. We create a safe event for the thousands of people who attend with car parking, catering, the pig roast, the procession, bonfire and fireworks all helping to make it a unique event.

Why do we do it?
The bonfire provides a very important focus for village life but it also raises significant funds for local organisations and good causes.  Around £20,000 is given away each year – not bad for an event where we don’t charge for admission.

Who is involved?
Time to explain some misconceptions. Legally we operate as Brockham Bonfire Ltd. We have to operate as a business to limit the liability of individuals, we have a board of directors who bring a range of skills to the event but importantly the directors are able to ‘share’ the legal responsibility for public safety on Bonfire Night and during the build up to the celebrations. Historically, we have been known as the Bonfire Committee, yes, we have elected Officers but the word Committee is misleading, at our meeting just before Bonfire Night our ‘Committee’ is 100 strong. We have also referred to ourselves as the ‘Bonfire Boys and Girls’, a fantastic description of our younger volunteers! We are a bunch of people who organise the event and anyone is welcome, adults and mid to late teenagers in particular.

So what can you do?
Anything, is the simple answer. You may not have the time or energy to help on every Saturday or Sunday before the bonfire, but any contribution beforehand and on the day will be welcomed and we have a wide range of tasks that have to be completed.
A particular need for Stewards

To fulfil the requirements of our Public Liability Insurance it is now a requirement to have many stewards available on Bonfire Night. I am sure you will have seen the teams of Stewards on the Village Green and around the Village. They play a vital role on the evening and their experience and dedication is critical to our success. We are constantly on the look out for more Stewards.

We believe that there are a lot of Brockham residents on the Green during the evening who would be keen to help.  We  give a briefing to all Stewards on the issues of safety, emergency exits, control points and particular hazards and we would provide fluorescent tabards so they could be easily identified in the crowd. You would work as part of a Stewarding Team and be invited to our annual ‘table-top’ exercise with all the emergency services..

What next?

If you feel that you can make a contribution to the bonfire as a Steward, or in other any other role then we need to hear from you.

Weekly meetings are held every Wednesday at 8.30pm in the Village Hall and everybody is welcome. Alternatively, the first visible sign of Bonfire Night is when we put up the centre pole on Sunday 23rd September at around 10.00am. Come to the Village Green, whatever the weather, join us for a coffee and meet the team.

Brockham Bonfire is something that everyone living in the village should be proud of and should have some involvement in.  The Bonfire also needs new people to get involved to ensure that it continues for future generations. This is your opportunity to get more involved.

I’m also very happy to talk to you on the phone or you can e-mail me.

Tony Hines