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Published:
July 20, 2008
Fireworks deadline looms as more Burnham firms give their support
 More
Burnham-On-Sea businesses have this week pledged their financial
support to helping save the future of the town's threatened seafront
fireworks display, but organisers have warned that they may pull
the plug on the event at the end of July if enough cash is not
raised.
Burnham's
Bay View Cafe and Home Hardware have this week pledged their financial
support, donating money to help the event (as pictured above).
But,
as previously reported by Burnham-On-Sea.com, cash-strapped Sedgemoor
District Council withdrew its financial support for the event
earlier this year due to its huge £1.8m financial shortfall
and this means businesses and residents are now being urged to
come forward with donations to safeguard it.
Town
Clerk Eileen Shaw, talking at Thursday's meeting of Burnham-On-Sea
Chamber of Trade, said: "We have a deadline of the end of
July to raise the £8,000 needed and confirm whether the
event can go ahead. If we don't have enough money by then, the
event will sadly have to be cancelled."
 She
added: "A working party set up to safeguard the future of
the fireworks has carried out a lot of work behind the scenes.
The fireworks display does help many businesses and accommodation
providers and means many people stay in the town during November's
carnival weekend."
Bob
Nicholson, Chairman of Sedgemoorn Tourism Association, agreed
that losing the fireworks "would be a blow to many tourism
businesses who benefit from the event."
Tom
Ashton, who has been leading the fundraising drive to get the
necessary funds to save the event, said over £1,700 has
been raised so far from a special business raffle in which the
winners will become the sponsors of the fireworks display. He
added that donations would be welcomed from residents and private
individuals alike.
Mrs
Shaw added that following the cancellation of last year's fireworks
display, due to bad weather, the fireworks working party hopes
to have a special cancellation insurance policy in place to secure
the finances of this year's event.
Alex
Turco, Chairman of Burnham Chamber of Trade, added at Thursday's
meeting: "This is a special event and we should all support
it, but we should also consider putting our thinking caps on and
try getting more private sector involvement to secure more events
like this."
Pictured
above are Bay View Cafe's Ann and Sonya Fudge and Home Hardware's
Phil Hemmings with Burnham fireworks working party members Tom
Ashton and Eileen Shaw
RELATED
LINKS:
Burnham Chamber of Trade official website
Disappointment
as 2007 fireworks are cancelled
Video
of Burnham seafront fireworks in 2006
Big
crowds watch Burnham-On-Sea's 2005 fireworks
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