Rocket FM 2012

LISTEN AGAIN to the History Hour’s Caroline Moss-Gibbons as she talks to Local Studies Librarian Michele Brooker about using the public library to find out about Lewes Priory.

Michele Brooker highlights reference works, image collections, historical material, clippings files, local society information, newspapers online and on microfilm, tailored Ordnance Survey map printing, and more.

Celebrate National Library Day (9th February) by visiting Lewes Library in person and online and see their local studies collections for yourself.

Lewes Library:
http://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/libraries/find/lewes/default.htm

Search the catalogue:
https://e-library.eastsussex.gov.uk/02_Catalogue/02_001_Search.aspx

Use the online reference library (PIN and Library Card needed):
https://e-library.eastsussex.gov.uk/07_OnlineResources/07_001_OnlineResources.aspx

Lewes Priory Trust:
www.lewespriory.org.uk

Around 30,000 people turned out for this year’s Lewes Bonfire celebrations last night (Monday). The numbers were around half of last year’s turnout for the historic event, which saw a crowd of 60,000.

Sussex Police and partner agencies saw a drop in the number of arrests and injuries. The event’s police commander, Superintendent Laurence Taylor, said: “The Lewes Bonfire continues to be an incredibly popular event.

“At public events of this size there are always going to be incidents of criminal activity and anti-social behaviour. Fortunately we saw a significant drop in the number of firework-related injuries compared with last year.

Photo © Peter Flanagan

“Around 20,000 people travelled into Lewes by train and officers from both British Transport Police and Sussex Police were on hand to help manage the crowds and minimise the risk of injuries and damage to property.”

South East Coast Ambulance Service and St John Ambulance treated 82 individuals, with seven people needing hospital treatment. None of the injuries were believed to be serious.

East Sussex Fire & Rescue reported a quiet night and were required to deal with five incidents.

A total of 15 arrests were made, nine of which were for throwing fireworks and others for public order and possession of drugs. There were no serious incidents of violence or disorder which meant that arrest numbers were halved compared with last year.

A 25 year-old man was arrested for throwing fireworks in Friars Walk and given a fixed penalty notice; another man of the same age was arrested for possessing an offensive weapon. He was reported for summons to court. A woman aged 21 was arrested for throwing a firework in Cliffe High Street and given a fixed penalty notice.

An 18-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of class A drugs and bailed until further notice.

Sussex Police have confirmed to Rocket FM that no bonfire society members were arrested.

Photo © Peter Flanagan

Sussex Police has issued a video giving advice about bonfire safety ahead of Monday’s Lewes Bonfire celebrations. In the video, Chief Superintendent Robin Smith from Sussex Police says “I urge those people who are attending … not to use rookies at this year’s celebrations, because as a direct result of those items last year, a number of people have been blinded”.

The video features an interview with Dr Edward Pringle, an ophthalmologist at Sussex Eye Hospital. Dr Pringle describes some of the injuries which occurred during last year’s Bonfire season as “similar to war zone injuries”.

There has been mounting concern about the use of blue rookies or ‘drop downs’, which are intended by the manufacturers for use as deer scarers and which fire a concrete bung when they explode. A ban has been issued on all drop downs during this year’s Lewes bonfire processions.

Unknown to many bonfire participants last year, the manufacturing design of the blue deer-scarer changed between 2010 and 2011, resulting in the dramatic upsurge in reported eye injuries.

It is understood that the tradition of throwing red bangers and rookies at the ‘clergy’ at many of the fire sites will still go ahead.