A Third Lewes Bonfire Society Suspends Nov 5th Involvement

Friday, 14 August 2020 11:10

By John Warburton @Warblefly

Southover Bonfire Society: marching away from the 5th, but only for this year

Southover Bonfire Society has become the third of Lewes's seven societies to withdraw from this year's November 5th commemorations, at the very heart of the Sussex Bonfire tradition.

It means that exactly half of the six societies who together usually plan and lead the town's commemorations have said they'll not participate.

In all cases (Cliffe, Commercial Square and Southover), leading members stated they'd withdrawn because of the practical difficulties of organising a celebration that could be Covid-19 safe, and to avoid burdening the emergency services who are working harder than usual to protect the public during the pandemic.

The society traces its formation as far back as 1886, and most recently re-formed in 2005, growing to an estimated 660 members today.

Southover's committee described last night's decision (August 13) as "very sad".

The society stated:

"Like many of our bonfire community in Lewes and across Sussex, we have looked at various options but ultimately, we are not prepared to compromise on the health and safety of our members, their families, our friends, supporters, and the public.

"We also don’t want to overburden our emergency services during this ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

"It’s very unlikely this dreadful situation will be over by November this year.

"With the potential threat of a second wave in the autumn, the Government guidelines and legislation are unlikely to change significantly with regard to social distancing, local lockdowns, and mass gatherings and events."

But it added members were committed to return in strength when Bonfire commemorations are permitted once more:

"We are determined to do all we can to get back to bonfire next year when we can celebrate this historic occasion in Southover Bonfire Society style.

"We look forward to our SBS members and our community’s help to make sure we can raise the funds needed to share with our various charities and to support our volunteers’ efforts to make the 5th fantastic."