16 October 2024

Calling for support on our new fireworks campaign

Redwings is launching a new campaign to better protect horses, ponies, donkeys and mules from the fear, injury, illness and worse that fireworks can cause.

We're asking people to ‘Keep Horses in Mind’ when deciding whether to use fireworks and choosing which type – with low-noise fireworks now more available than ever before.

Watch footage of some of our horses reacting to loud fireworks being let off near one of our centres last October.

As the first action of our new campaign, we're asking you to urge your MP to attend an awareness-raising drop-in event in Westminster on Wednesday 30th October.

Helen Whitelegg, Redwings Campaigns and Policy Manager, said: “We're inviting MPs to join us and other organisations from the Fireworks Working Group to discuss much-needed improvement to regulations.

“The event will highlight the adverse impact of fireworks not only on horses, but also on other animals, people, wildlife and the environment, with the aim of raising awareness amongst those who have the power to bring about change.

“Please contact your local MP and ask them to come along. You can find your MP's contact details here.”

The event will take place in Room S, Portcullis House, between 2pm - 3.30pm on Wednesday 30th October.

You can download a draft invite here (DOCX 14 KB), which you can personalise to include any reasons why this campaign is particularly important to you. The more personalised your message, the more it will stand out and get noticed by your MPs. Remember to be polite!

Redwings has been campaigning to raise awareness about the impact of fireworks on horses for over ten years, during which time three of our ponies died as a result of them.

Helen said: “We are planning lots more actions as part of the campaign and will have some new resources to share too, so please get involved to help us achieve overdue change.”

We've also put together a template letter (DOCX 97 KB) you can send to your neighbours to help find out who may be letting off fireworks in your local area and when. This is something we do at Redwings, to help as be as prepared as possible, by moving horses away from displays if we can, and arranging extra night checks to ensure the safety of our residents.

Head to our special fireworks page to find out more about our work and how you can help.