Tonight is Bonfire Night, and we’re looking back on how the event has been marked in Cumbria over the years.
Traditionally known as Guy Fawkes Night, it is an annual commemoration observed on November 5 involving bonfires and fireworks displays.
It stems from the events of November 5, 1605, when Guy Fawkes, who was involved in the Gunpowder Plot, was arrested while guarding explosives the plotters had placed beneath the House of Lords.
The Catholic plotters had intended to assassinate Protestant King James I and members of his parliament. To celebrate the King’s survival, people lit bonfires around London. Months later, the Observance of 5th November Act mandated an annual public day of thanksgiving for the plot’s failure.
Ahead of Bonfire Night in 2010, staff and residents of Bupa care homes were asking Cumbrians to raid their wardrobes for donations as they gathered old clothes and materials to make a dummy Guy Fawkes. They appealed to local community groups to contact them if they wanted the Bupa Guy for their own celebrations.
Siobhan Drane, Bupa’s community affairs manager, said: “We want to donate our Guys to local community groups this year, so they can take pride of place on bonfires across the UK.
“This is something our staff and residents can really get involved with, from making the Guy to collecting clothes donated by friends and families, choosing what the Guy should wear or adding the finishing touches. But more than anything, everyone would love it if our Guys can be part of a community bonfire.”
Altogether, more than 100 care homes were offering to make Guys as part of their November 5 celebrations, alongside designing edible gingerbread Guys and making decorations.
Other pictures show Bonfire Nights in Carlisle, Hawcoat Park and at Dalton United Football Club, along with a firework safety campaign by Cumbria Police.
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