Oswestry Town Council releases review of fireworks display, citing planning and crowd issues
Oswestry Town Council has published an independent review into its 2024 Fireworks Display, highlighting a lack of structured planning and issues arising from unexpectedly large crowds as primary concerns.
The display was set to begin at 7pm on Saturday 2nd November 2024, but was delayed due to safety issues, leaving many people frustrated and waiting for a long time.
A review, conducted by MBO Safety Services Limited, was commissioned following the event to identify lessons for future public gatherings.
The report pinpointed a deficit in structured planning as the main issue. It stated that significantly larger attendance than anticipated, coupled with insufficient security personnel for the crowd size and ineffective communication on the night, contributed to confusion and distress among attendees.
The review stresses the need for more robust advance event management planning, clearer structure, and enhanced training to ensure all personnel understand their responsibilities at future events.
The review also noted that the suitability of the location and the fact that the event was free were significant contributing factors to the issues experienced.
The report suggests that as such events grow in popularity, overcrowding will inevitably become a problem for any free event space. To manage attendance numbers, the review recommended that the council consider implementing ticketing and potentially charging an entrance fee.
Oswestry Town Council has welcomed the findings of the report. Town Clerk Arren Roberts commented, "We would like to thank MBO Safety Services for this report, and to all those who attended the event and gave feedback. We took immediate action to ensure our Christmas events went well and safely and are considering all the recommendations made." He added, "The last thing any of us want is for families to leave our events feeling let down and our priority must always be safety first."
The future of the Oswestry Fireworks Display will now be determined by the new Council, which will need to take the recommendations of the independent review into full consideration.
