£10,000 funding for new fireworks show in Fife

Buckhaven and Denbeath Community Council have been handed £10,000 by the Levenmouth area committee to stage the show for the community.

All members were in support of helping to fund more local community events – although Cllr John O’Brien expressed general concerns over a fireworks display, highlighting the distress it puts on pets around bonfire night.

In a report, it was noted that the usual funding for such types of events was capped at £1500, but they were considering agreeing the higher amount to help kick-start its first year.

The display will take place in November and has been proposed for the Buckhaven foreshore.

Councillor Ken Caldwell, committee convener,  said: “There has been a huge support in Buckhaven for this, lots of local interest. Previous displays have been very well attended.”

Cllr David Graham said that he was keen to support more events in Levenmouth as a whole, and questioned if creating an events team for the area would be an appropriate step forward.

Community manager David Paterson said that there would be some economy of scale if the events pulled together for things like insurance purposes and that it would be good to see more experienced groups sharing support.

However, he added: “We are trying to encourage more locals to organise events. It brings a feeling of community back to their area.”

He also said: “If the first one is successful, the view is that more people would be involved in the growth of the second year.

“Events like this don’t just happen by accident – it’s the people who put a lot of effort into them that help the success.”

All councillors were in favour of the funding, with Cllr Caldwell adding that he hoped that local businesses would contribute to for future events to help keep it running.