In the late 1960s my friend Noel Tobin, who has died aged 80, and his wife Gerry became deeply concerned about the fatalities and life-changing injuries inflicted on both children and adults by fireworks.
In 1968, hospital A&E departments treated more than 2,200 casualties over the bonfire party weekend. Families had to deal with terrible injuries, including lost eyes and limbs, and severe burns, caused by unregulated, careless or malicious use of fireworks. Enough was enough; as part of a group of young families, Noel set up a campaign (jointly with Mother magazine) and obtained 50,000 signatures for a petition demanding that the government should regulate the sale of fireworks and ban the most dangerous explosives altogether.
