HSE v Santa. FIGHT FIGHT!

[Finless]

I half saw this on TV this AM so it isn't just the DailyParanoia:-

Health and safety killjoys force Santa to wear a seatbelt in his ...Santa is being made to belt up - in case he falls off his sleigh whizzing through towns at a top speed of five mph.
www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=497438&in_page_id=1770 - Similar pages - Note this


HSE to blame again? Well, that's what was said on TV but it could just be some local official.

Apparently, another town is not having a Santa parade because they can't afford the liability insurance.

I love being angry about this kind of lobbocks!

I'm not even going to verify this story. The Daily Mail and the half heard report on TV this AM is enough to convince me.

HSE! ENOUGH!

[Gram43]

Seems like the HSE bit has gone overboard up here also as this was on th local news:-

BBC NEWS | England | Tyne | Insurers ban Santa's sleigh ride

Originally Posted by Finless

I half saw this on TV this AM so it isn't just the DailyParanoia:-

Health and safety killjoys force Santa to wear a seatbelt in his ...Santa is being made to belt up - in case he falls off his sleigh whizzing through towns at a top speed of five mph.
www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=497438&in_page_id=1770 - Similar pages - Note this


HSE to blame again? Well, that's what was said on TV but it could just be some local official.

Apparently, another town is not having a Santa parade because they can't afford the liability insurance.

I love being angry about this kind of lobbocks!

I'm not even going to verify this story. The Daily Mail and the half heard report on TV this AM is enough to convince me.

HSE! ENOUGH!

[Gram43]

When I was a kid there was a large department store in Middlebrough who, every christmas, had a Santa procession along 2 of the main roads leading to their store. They'd done this for years and years and families used to line the roads as he and his little helpers would throw packets of sweeties into the crowds. It was brilliant and we used to follow his sleigh all the way to the store, to get maximum goodies.

God only knows what the HSE and all these accident groups would do if they repeated this festive treat!

Bring back the good old days.

[Finless]

Originally Posted by Gram43

Seems like the HSE bit has gone overboard up here also as this was on th local news:-

BBC NEWS | England | Tyne | Insurers ban Santa's sleigh ride

Much as I like to blame the HSE this time the fault is with the insurance firstly and THEN the HSE who would rip them to bits if something went wrong and they didn't have insurance.

The sooner they bring out some clause or thingy where it is understood by all that attend 'an event' that they are not covered by any insurance then maybe we can get back to how things were - with bloody HUGE fireworks (for example).

[colinicky]

Well I can't remember where it is held but , on Country File the other Sunday they showed a village that has burning tar barrel racing !
You get a barrel that has tar in it ,set it alight then CARRY it on your shoulders whilst running through the streets of this village ! The best one was what they called the "Midnight Barrel " which was bloody enormous !
They even had little kids doing it .
And all around the village were signs posted saying that you entered the village " AT YOUR OWN RISK" .

[colinicky]

In Ottery St Mary, in Devon, burning barrels of tar are carried through the streets:

"Ottery St. Mary is internationally renowned for its tar barrels, an old custom said to have originated in the 17th century, and which is held on November 5th each year. Each of Ottery's central public houses sponsors a single barrel. In the weeks prior to the day of the event, November 5th, the barrels are soaked with tar. The barrels are lit outside each of the pubs in turn and once the flames begin to pour out, they are hoisted up onto local people's backs and shoulders. The streets and alleys around the pubs are packed with people, all eager to feel the lick of the barrels flame. Seventeen Barrels all in all are lit over the course of the evening. In the afternoon and early evening there are women's and boy's barrels, but as the evening progresses the barrels get larger and by midnight they weigh at least 30 kilos. A great sense of camaraderie exists between the 'Barrel Rollers', despite the fact that they tussle constantly for supremacy of the barrel. In most cases, generations of the same family carry the barrels and take great pride in doing so. ... Opinion differs as to the origin of this festival of fire, but the most widely accepted version is that it began as a pagan ritual that cleanses the streets of evil spirits

[Buoyant Babe]

Originally Posted by colinicky

Well I can't remember where it is held but , on Country File the other Sunday they showed a village that has burning tar barrel racing !
You get a barrel that has tar in it ,set it alight then CARRY it on your shoulders whilst running through the streets of this village ! The best one was what they called the "Midnight Barrel " which was bloody enormous !
They even had little kids doing it .
And all around the village were signs posted saying that you entered the village " AT YOUR OWN RISK" .

I believe you refer to Allendale

[Finless]

Originally Posted by colinicky

Well I can't remember where it is held but , on Country File the other Sunday they showed a village that has burning tar barrel racing !
You get a barrel that has tar in it ,set it alight then CARRY it on your shoulders whilst running through the streets of this village ! The best one was what they called the "Midnight Barrel " which was bloody enormous !
They even had little kids doing it .
And all around the village were signs posted saying that you entered the village " AT YOUR OWN RISK" .

Yes, I saw the item the first time around the year before.

I wasn't aware that you were allowed to have "at your own risk" events open to the public. Oh well, if that is the case then the Country hasn't completely gone to the dogs!

Why do they bother insuring anything then? Hastings' fire work display is free (in that there is no ticket to be bought) and yet .......................

[Finless]

Originally Posted by Buoyant Babe

I believe you refer to Allendale

Allendale?

No, we meant:-

Ottery St Mary Tar BarrelsWelcome to the stunning annual event of Ottery's flaming Tar Barrels. What follows is a unique pictorial taster to an event that really does need to be seen ...
www.tarbarrels.co.uk/ - 6k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this

[colinicky]

Originally Posted by Buoyant Babe

I believe you refer to Allendale

Sorry Helen it was the other one at the bottom of your link
(but your link was better than mine