Remember, remember, stay safe this November!

“Remember, remember, the fifth of November”, the rhyme tells us, but exactly why do we need to remember? Every year on November 5^th, the country sets off fireworks and sparklers for bonfire night to remember the failed attempt to blow up the parliament.

On November 5^th 1605, Guy Fawkes was captured underneath the Houses of Parliament. With him, he had 36 barrels of gunpowder. Along with a group of other gentlemen, he planned to blow up the Parliament while King James I was inside. The hope was that James’ daughter Elizabeth would then become queen and return England to the Catholic faith.

The plot was foiled after one of the group members, warned a friend not to attend parliament on November 5^th. This caused suspicion and the plot was quickly discovered and stopped.

So why do we celebrate it?

In the aftermath of the plot, James I severely punished those who followed the catholic faith and took away their rights to vote, amongst other things. As the years have gone by, the tension between Protestants and Catholics has become less prominent in England, and every year, the country comes together to celebrate the survival of James I that day and the capture of his would be assassins.

Nowadays, November 5^th is mostly known for colourful fireworks, large bonfires and fun nights out together with family, but fireworks have the ability to travel up to about 150mph and can be very dangerous. In recent years, these caused around 990 injuries during the months of October and November. Out of those 990 injured people, 494 were children, according to http://www.bonfire-night-safety.co.uk/.

If you are celebrating this year’s bonfire night, here are a few key safety points to remember:

• Use wide, open areas - Make sure you set fireworks and sparklers off in an open area, away from any houses or buildings. This helps prevent any accidents, building fires and more. It also means that by having them away from houses, people who don’t enjoy fireworks have somewhere to stay, safely and securely.
• Keep your pets indoors - A lot of families in the UK have some form of pet that’s well loved by its family. The loud noises from fireworks can frighten and shock animals. When scared, their behavior changes and can really unsettle their normal lifestyle and routine. You can find more advice about pets and bonfire night on the RSPCA website.
• Sparklers - Children love sparklers. You can draw patterns in the air, write your name… and they make a funny noise too! However, when used incorrectly, they can be just as dangerous as fireworks. Make sure that you have a bucket filled with water nearby to put the sparklers into when you have finished and that everyone using a sparkler (not just the younger members of the family) are wearing gloves to protect their hands from them sparks flying off.

Celebrate, have fun and enjoy bonfire night! But most importantly remember: stay safe this November!

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