Give all you can to help this year’s Littlehampton Bonfire Night

In this, its diamond jubilee year, Littlehampton Bonfire Society is appealing to spectators to be even more generous with their donations to the street collection.

Every single penny will go to supporting charities and good causes in the Littlehampton area – nothing is spent on the cost of staging the torchlight procession, bonfire or the spectacular fireworks display, which are all covered by the society’s year-round fund-raising.

And this year the Gazette has been giving the collection an added boost with the help of our cheerful character, Sid the Squid.

Give a quid

If everyone gave just £1 to the collection buckets, the society would easily break through its target of £10,000, so our message is: “Please give a quid, says Sid the Squid.”

And everyone giving £1, and hopefully more, to the collection will in return be given a special sticker with a picture of Sid and the words “I gave a quid to Sid the Squid”.

The stickers have been produced and donated by award-winning Littlehampton business AJS Labels, which this week picked up another top printing award (see next week’s Gazette).

“Great occasion”

AJS Labels director Jayne Scrimgeour said: “Littlehampton Bonfire Night is a great occasion and we are delighted to be able to help in this way.

“We hope the stickers will help the bonfire society to reach its £10,000 target.”

Street collections at the event this year will be shared among groups including Worthing and District SCOPE, Sussex Search and Rescue, Enable Me and the Wick Information Centre.

Benefitting good causes

Society secretary Richard Cooper said: “We charge no entry fee, but we do ask spectators to show their appreciation by donating as much as they are able to our collection buckets, and hope that this year each spectator will be able to give at least £1.

“We were delighted last year to set a new record of £9,110 for the all-time highest street collection at any Sussex bonfire and carnival celebrations. We now feel that a £10,000 street collection should be possible at our 60th anniversary event. Don’t forget, your donation will directly benefit the local community.

“Our society has had to raise over £24,000 to stage this year’s event for the town and the benefit of our beneficiaries.

“Countless hours of volunteer time are involved in organising the celebrations, building the bonfire, making the torches and preparing costumes and floats.”