Town’s fireworks display goes up in smoke

THIS year’s Glenrothes fireworks display has been cancelled after the main organising group withdrew, it has been announced.

The annual display at Gilvenbank Park was a fixture in the town’s calendar and more than 5,000 people turned out for the spectacular show last year.

However, funding the event has proved increasingly difficult and organisers have pulled the plug for 2019.

The news comes just days after it was confirmed Dunfermline would not be staging its annual display in Pittencrieff Park after the collapse of the Dunfermline Delivers Business Improvement District.

Fiona Grant, convener of the Glenrothes area committee, said: “Although the Glenrothes fireworks display is not a Fife Council event it has been heavily financed by the Glenrothes area committee over the past few years.

“Each year fewer folk have had to do more to ensure the event happened.

“Unfortunately this year the tipping point has been reached.”

The council, along with partners Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, say it will work with any group that comes forward to organise an event for 2020.

However, the organising group will be required to produce a financial model that does not rely heavily on Fife Council at least 12 months in advance of the event.

The local authority came in for criticism last year after it awarded £8,500 of public funding towards the community fireworks display in Glenrothes.

Local activists suggested councillors literally had “money to burn” and urged the council to look more closely at how taxpayers’ money was spent.