Saving Blackheath Fireworks Night! What a successful public fundraising campaign looks like

Introduction

Photograph by James Davis

In the UK, fireworks events are traditional not only on New Year’s Day but also on 5th November - Guy Fawkes Day. The Blackheath public fireworks display on that evening has been a long standing highlight of Lewisham’s events calendar – in 2009 about 80,000 people attended. It has in the past received funding from Lewisham and Greenwich councils as well as from private sponsorship. In October 2010, Greenwich Council decided to pull out its funding, putting the event at risk. The London Borough of Lewisham was still committed, but could not afford to fund the shortfall all by itself. Instead it decided to launch a public appeal for donations.