01/09/2024
Anytime Fireworks – 2024 British Firework Championships Statement
Following recent updates from the event organisers, Anytime Fireworks wishes to provide clarification regarding our experience at the 2024 British Firework Championships.
The journey has been a roller-coaster of emotions from beginning to end. We were honoured to receive the opportunity to compete and present a firework display at such a prestigious event. This was a significant and exciting challenge for our small, family-run company, supported by our loyal and hard-working volunteer pyrotechnics crew.
Our four design operators took on the daunting task of mastering new software, spending countless hours refining the running order, and modelling the display in preparation for the competition. We are immensely grateful to our crew for their tireless preparation and organisation, which enabled us to deliver this display while continuing to meet our other commitments. Their dedication and passion for pyrotechnics are truly inspiring.
On the day of the display, the team faced a series of unexpected challenges, including unforeseen absences, site access delays that hindered setup by a few hours, and adverse weather conditions. These difficulties culminated in a very challenging environment for everyone involved in preparing our large-scale display for the evening.
Despite these obstacles, the Anytime Fireworks crew worked diligently to ensure our setup was in position, tested, and ready to fire alongside the other competitors well before the 9:30 p.m. start time. After all the displays were safely fired, the Plymouth crowd cheered for the excellent performances delivered by all the competing firms. The judges, comprising both the public and firework industry experts, then carefully reviewed and compared notes across various criteria to determine the winner.
A small contingent of our team was invited to the awards ceremony to await the results. To our immense joy, Anytime Fireworks was announced as the winner in both categories—a recognition that was deeply emotional for our company. The team were overjoyed to receive such positive news, and it was a moment of pride and a significant achievement.
The following morning, we received numerous messages and calls from industry peers and the press, congratulating us on our success. Although the team was still recovering from the effort of dismantling the event, we were all elated by our accomplishment, particularly given the challenging circumstances we had faced. However, later that morning, we were informed by the organisers that, following a review of the previous day’s events by the adjudication team, we had been disqualified due to technicalities during the setup.
We believe the technical issue stated is related to some additional assistance offered by a couple of event staff members to set up small elements of the show. This assistance was provided in good faith, to ensure that all three displays could achieve their maximum effect for the Plymouth audience, given the access delays and poor weather conditions. A group effort on site is normally encouraged at these types of competitions and was stated as such on the live recording for this event so is common practice, with the design and firing being the main elements each team has unique control over. Unfortunately, this was later deemed non-compliant, and without prior knowledge that disqualification would result, Anytime Fireworks had no opportunity to refuse the assistance at the time. In hindsight, we would have declined the offer and reassigned our crew to undertake the task. As a result, the organisers, as reported in the press, have revised the competition results, removing Anytime Fireworks from first place in both categories.
This outcome has left our team confused and concerned about the organisation and management of the event. We believe that in future competitions, any information required by the judges to determine the winner must be communicated clearly and in advance. We also regret that Team BBB Fireworks, the eventual winners, were not given the opportunity to accept their award in front of the attending public. We wish to extend our congratulations to BBB Fireworks as the overall winners, and to Pyrotex Fireworks, who were selected as the Young People’s Choice. It is unfortunate that they, too, were denied the opportunity to receive their award from the young people of Plymouth on the night. All six displays were outstanding, and we also congratulate the three other firms who competed alongside us for their excellent performances.
Despite this experience, Anytime Fireworks walks away with our heads held high, knowing that our display was well-received across all three judging panels. We are honoured to have had the opportunity to participate and to showcase our capabilities to the public. We remain committed to delivering high-quality, creative, and impressive firework displays and are deeply appreciative of the support from our team and everyone involved in this journey.
Photo credit - Plymouth Live
