Bonfire fun iscancelled dueto soaking field

The decision was made last Saturday after both the firesite field and the car parking field were under water due to the torrential rain of recent weeks.

A spokesperson for the Robin Hood Bonfire Society said: “The fields were not draining at all and with more rain forecast it would not have been safe to go ahead and hold the event

“With the rain forecast on Sunday it would have been impossible to build the bonfire and set up the fireworks without causing too much damage to the field.”

The event has now been rescheduled for Saturday December 29.

A Society member commented: “As we have had to break with the traditional November 5th we thought this might be a great family evening over the festive season.”

The bonfire celebration at Icklesham has evolved into the biggest organised family event in the Rye and Battle area.

It still incorporates some of the element s of traditional Sussex bonfire celebrations such as flaming torches and drumming .

The event has also raised thousand of pounds for local charities and good causes in the village, including the local primary school, church and Memorial Hall.

Each year the Bonfire Society hosts a meal and entertainment for senior citizens in the village.

The cancellation is a double blow for the area with Winchelsea’s traditional bonfire celebrations, which were to have taken place on Saturday evening, having to be cancelled due to a local farmer refusing to give permission to use Rookery Field, which has been the site of the bonfire for the past decade.

Winchelsea Bonfire Boyes complained that a whole year of preparation and fund raising had been wasted as a result.

The good news though is that the Met Office is predicting a dry night for the big bonfire celebrations down the road in Rye on Saturday.

More than 10.000 people are expected to attend the town’s bonfire celebrations.