The bonfire built by love

A COMMUNITY rallied round after vandals set fire to a bonfire intended for a charity firework display.

Late on Friday evening, residents reported the blaze in King George V’s Recreation Field and it looked like the finale to this year’s Twyford & District Round Table firework display would be cancelled.

However, on Saturday morning residents have come to the rescue and the end result was a bonfire that was bigger and better than ever before.

A steady stream of burnable wood was brought to the field, including wood pallets from Binghams Brewery, tree trunks from Winson Woodcraft Tree Surgery and offers of help from companies such as Jewsons the building merchants.

A team from the Round Table were on site all day preparing the revamped bonfire.

Round Table spokesperson Joshua Greedy told The Wokingham Paper: “We’ve had an amazing response. It’s looking like it will be a bigger bonfire than we’d expected. It’s amazing really.

“We’re disappointed that the bonfire was set off, but we’ve nearly finished the rebuilding. Lots of people have been coming along with donations and bringing us tea and coffee which has been great.

“It’s going to be a huge display and a great show.

“The event is bringing the community together, it’s all about friendship.”

And in a message on social media, the group said: “Unfortunately someone set light to the magnificent bonfire we spent all day yesterday building.

“We are disappointed this happened and our thanks are to the fire brigade and the public that brought it to our attention.

“We’re rebuilding the bonfire and thank the Twyford Community for their help and supportive messages.

“This will be a great demonstration of how Twyford can come together to support each other.”

Chris Bingham, from Binghams Brewery, said: “It would have been a shame that thoughtless people would have ruined it for everyone else.

“I don’t like the idea that people would have been disappointed if they had turned up and there was no bonfire.

“It was good to be able to help the Round Table to rebuild it. I didn’t want Twyford being disappointed.”

And Clive Winson from Winson Woodcraft was equally pleased to help.

“I got a call late at night telling me that the bonfire has been set alight and they [the Round Table] were struggling to get new materials.

“I had the materials in my yard that I could donate,” he said.

Clive took them round, including several pallets and tree trunks and enjoyed watching his efforts go up in smoke, along with hundreds of other Twyford residents.