The Marlborough School
Shipton Road
Woodstock
Oxon
OX20 1LP
Saturday 27th March 2010 – Arrive 13.30 for 14.00 start

We need support both financial and practical. We need to raise about £6000 and we will need a dedicated group of people to do the work.

Full details are on the project website at http://www.wellsatamberley.org/

Please publicise this project and consider what you may be able to do to assist us.

We are pleased to announce that Spark Issue 5 has been published.

This is a bumper 36 page edition with something for everyone.

They were posted to members on the 10th October 2009.

Due to the current postal disputes we cannot be sure when they will be delivered. However, all members who have registered an email address with us have been sent a PDF file of the magazine.

It will held at Woodstock, just North of Oxford, hopefully a good central location that lot’s of people can get to.

We plan to invite some high-profile speakers and have many other interesting events.

Please put this date in your diary – more details to follow.

Hopefully we will have even more people attending than last year.

• Illuminate Consult Cat 4 course – Reviewed by Phil Dunford
• Made in China Part 3 – Jon Williams
• Tests on the use of Red Gum for granulating
  Black Powder – Phil Dunford
• Photographing Fireworks Part 3 – Richard Harwood
• Cake construction, Part 1 – Dean Graham
• Our ever-popular Pyro Crossword

Receiving a copy of Spark is just one of the benefits of membership of the UKPS. If you aren’t a member, why not consider joining us today?

Phil Dunford provided a slideshow talk of firework labels and effects of days gone by. Phill Cooper gave a demonstration of star rolling principles and technique, and Richard talked about his recent visit to Liuyang, China.

Stephen Miller M.I.Exp.E. of Live Action FX Limited presented a very informative and entertaining talk about a particular special effects project that involved explosively demolishing an Indian Temple for a film. The AGM was brought to a close with a professionally fired fireworks display featuring traditional English setpieces.

The UKPS kindly thanks Bishop Thomas Grant School, Streatham for hosting our AGM. A special thanks is due to all those who attended or helped in any capacity to organise the event. A copy of the opening presentation will be made available online shortly.

The society is very pleased to announce that we have organised a guided tour of the renowned Kimbolton Fireworks, hosted by the Revd Ron Lancaster MBE. The Kimbolton workshops are host to the largest remaining manufacturer of display fireworks in the United Kingdom. The company was founded in 1964, and has gone on to stage many prestigious displays at both home and abroad. The UK Pyrotechnics Society last organised a visit to the workshops in 2006 and it was a most enjoyable day for all concerned. The guided tour will be hosted by Ron Lancaster who of course needs no introduction. Author of the biblical Fireworks, Principles and Practice, Ron has spent a lifetime working in the British fireworks industry, from beginnings at Standard Fireworks of Huddersfield to establishing the workshops at Kimbolton.

Both members and non-members would be very welcome to join us for the tour and quite possibly a few anecdotes and an impromptu demonstration or two along the way. Why not bring along a copy of your book and have it signed by the Master Blaster Pastor as he has become to be affectionately known!

As is customary with UKPS outings, it is highly likely that we will retire to the nearby New Sun Inn located in the village for post-tour refreshments and sustenance. If you would like to come along then please register your interest in attending this event, and contact us so we have an idea of expected numbers. Places will be limited and on a first-come, first-served basis. UKPS members will have priority, so if we’ve yet to tempt you to join, now is a great time.

How To Renew Your UKPS Membership

The UK Pyrotechnics Society is pleased to announce that we are staging an exhibition and social at the Firework Champions event being held at Stanford Hall. Now firmly established as one of the country’s leading fireworks events, Firework Champions sees 3 professional display teams compete. The audience vote for their favourite show by SMS, and the evening is rounded off by a spectacular display by MLE Pyrotechnics Limited.

The UKPS will be attending with our inaugural event gazebo. We shall be staging a small exhibition of fireworks past, present, and future. Members, non-members, and the general public are all welcome to come and talk to us about the science, history, and art of pyrotechnics. Our gazebo will be clearly marked with our society livery and we intend to add an audio-visual element to the exhibition to make it as interesting and hands-on as possible.

The event will be a fantastic opportunity for firework enthusiasts new and old to wonder over and talk all things fireworks! The beautiful surroundings of Stanford Hall, the spectacular pyromusical displays, and some good company are certain to ensure a good day is had by all!

UKPS members will enjoy a discount off the ticket price and will be given a guided tour of the firing area to whet the appetite!

Event Information:

Where: Stanford Hall

When: Saturday 1st August 2009

Tickets: Buy Online (UKPS Members – Contact us for your discount)

The Event Program

Food and Drink: Join us and bring a picnic or grab something to eat from a selection of on-site catering.

Do you have any interesting items we could use in the exhibition? We’d love to hear from you!