Record number of people attended King’s Lynn’s Fawkes in The Walks free fireworks display

Record numbers of people attended Lynn’s free fireworks event on Friday evening which saw a dazzling display of colourful explosions in the sky.

Families and friends attended Fawkes in The Walks which saw the Lynn park packed with stalls and rides as well as live music before the fireworks kicked off at 8pm.

This year, a record number of 20,000 people attended Fawkes in The Walks, compared to 18,000 last year.

A total of 7,000 people attended the first ever Fawkes in The Walks when it was set up in 2008 by West Norfolk Council.

West Norfolk mayor Cllr Paul Bland started the countdown to the fireworks display.

Before that, live entertainment started at 6pm, with music from Top Cover and headliners Bear Club, while Radio West Norfolk presenter Simon Rowe entertained the crowd between the live sets.

Snapchat users could snap a selfie at the event using the Fawkes in The Walks filter.

The event has always been free to attend, but council staff were on hand with donation buckets for voluntary contributions.

Organisers asked members of the public not to bring their own private fireworks, drones or sparklets to the event.

However, shortly after the display had concluded, a firework was let off into the crowd which left four people injured.

Cllr Bal Anota, cabinet member for events and public open space, said: “A record number of people came to enjoy our free fireworks display and entertainment in The Walks on Friday. It was a fantastic event and great to see many families enjoy it.

“I would like to thank the people that people that generously gave up their time and helped with the bucket collection for donations.

“We’re also extremely grateful to King’s Lynn Park Run whose runners volunteered to do a litter pick of The Walks before their run on Saturday morning.

“My family and I enjoyed the event but I was disappointed to hear that, despite the borough council putting on a professionally run display, a property outside the park decided to set off their own fireworks minutes after our display had finished with a wayward firework entering the crowd in The Walks.

“I was concerned to hear that four people suffered minor injuries from this firework but reassuringly we had medical support on hand from a Doctor and Paramedics as part of our safety team who were able to help them so they could walk away from the park after they treated their wounds. I thank the staff for their quick actions and wish the four attendees a speedy recovery.

“The hard work of everyone involved, along with the support of our partner organisations, helps to make it such a great fixture on the King’s Lynn calendar. I’d especially like to thank all the volunteers without whom the event could not be such a success.”

Got a story? Email: newsdesk@lynnnews.co.uk