Combat Stress co-hosts parliamentary drop-in event to discuss the harmful impact of fireworks

On Tuesday 10 December, Combat Stress co-hosted a drop-in event for MPs to discuss the impact of fireworks and how a change in legislation could greatly reduce the distress caused to those affected.

Alongside us at Portcullis House in Westminster were RSPCA, Dog’s Trust, The Association for Firework Legislation Reform and Sarah Owen MP – an avid campaigner against current fireworks legislation. Sarah has launched her own Fireworks Bill to ban the loudest fireworks from public sale and ensure fireworks can only be purchased from licensed shops.

The considerable turn-out of MPs was indicative of a shift towards a desire to protect those affected by the sounds, smells and unpredictability of fireworks, as well the previous day’s debate in the House of Commons on the sale and use of fireworks where our work and research in this area was cited several times as reasoning for the need for effective regulation.

This support bodes well ahead of the second reading of Sarah Owen’s Fireworks Bill in the new year.

In the meantime, we are having further discussions with the Government to ensure that any review of existing legislation takes into account expert testimony and the lived experiences of veterans with military trauma who are distressed by fireworks.

Veterans should have the right to be able to plan for when there will be fireworks near them so they can put coping strategies in place and limit the distress caused to them.

To find out more about the impact of fireworks on veterans, visit: https://combatstress.org.uk/fireworks