The fireworks display that promised a wonderful evening at Auckland Castle on Friday 6th November may be bittersweet in the memories of many visitors.
More people than Auckland Castle had the resources to cope with attended the event, prompting the early closure of the gates and resulting in parents and children, who attended an earlier child-friendly show within the castle grounds, being unable to leave due to the crowd pressure.
Auckland Castle said concern for health and safety was the reason for closing the gates and the desire to prevent any of the 8,000 spectators already inside from getting injured.
Jonathan Ruffer, the millionare who, among many things, is Chairman of the Auckland Castle Trust and the driving force behind the Eleven Arches project to develop Auckland Castle as a major tourist site said:
“It was an overwhelming event – overwhelming in a good way, with more than half the town turning out to the castle to see an incredible display of fireworks.
“And overwhelming in a not-so-good way, since the castle and the park were unable to cope with the numbers.”
The Auckland Castle Trust, partnered with the West Auckland Community and the South Durham Enterprise Agency, organised the fireworks display which was themed on the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.
Mr Ruffer said he understood the disappointment of those who were unable to see the fireworks from a desirable vantage and can be contacted by dissatisfied visitors wishing to express their disappointment.
The majority of people who made it into the venue expressed their delight at the display, with many taking to social media to say that there was plenty of room inside, but that there were fewer stewards than they would have expected to see at such a large scale event.
In a letter to this week’s Bishop Press, Bishop Auckland Councillor, Sam Zair, expressed his concern for safety at the event saying that: “the organisers must be made accountable for this shambles of an event which endangered lives.
“The crush to get in and out of the event was unquestionably totally unsafe.”
Another reader who arrived early and gained access to the event said: “I hope that the safety concerns don’t completely take away from what was a fantastic display. Hopefully the organisers will have learned from their mistakes and the event can take place again next year. It would be a shame for the toddlers and for the adults if organisers had second thoughts about putting on the display again.”
Bishop Auckland's local community newspaper.
