Dulwich Sports Club have hit back after being accused of planning to create a “woke” bonfire night.
This year the sports club announced its intention to forego the traditional bonfire for this year’s Guy Fawkes’ festivities, and instead use a large screen to show the image of a bonfire.
This decision was soon picked up by the national press and branded as an unnecessary effort to appeal to climate change activists.
However, the secretary for the club stated that the event wasn’t marketed as a “green” firework display, and instead the fact that the screen is eco-friendly has been picked up and focused on.
The reason for the decision, states the club, is that planning for bonfire night starts in the spring – which this year took place during lockdown.
Therefore, to ensure the event would be able to go ahead, the club ditched the bonfire in order to make full use of the cricket field, so that people could attend.
They added that the virtual bonfire seemed like a fun and novel thing for families, and that the environmentally friendly nature of the screen was just an added bonus. They have not ruled out having a real bonfire in future years.
However, several national media outlets focused on the online event listing for the event, in which the sports club say: “This year the event is ‘Going Green’ with an eco-friendly virtual Bonfire on the Big Screen.”
The sports club has also banned the use of sparklers on the site. Sparklers are increasingly seen as bad for the environment due to the fact that they are disposable and non-recyclable.