07/10/2026
Thank you! Thank you for having us as one of the nominated Charities this year. We really appreciate the support we get locally to serve our community ♥️
Please take a moment to read…
Cc: Luke Hawkes Photography 📸
A very successful and positive report. ✅
The streets were full, the families from afar were invited over for dinner on the driveway to watch ‘our village’s big parade’, the pubs were rammed, and the children were dancing to the drums. Bonfire is a night for everyone.
12 months of fundraising… every Halloween Disco, Santa’s Grotto, Christmas Light Switch On, Easter Egg Hunt, and Summer Fete funds the necessary nearly £13,000 for bonfire night. By no means alone, we are consistently building relationships with local businesses who have generously sponsored us, and ensuring our gratitude is always known to Rotherfield Parish Council who kindly support us throughout the year.
The thank you’s… as always this is long.
Yet 100% necessary, and important that it is understood how bonfire tradition truly connects a community.
Okay… ready?!
The committee, both past and present. John, Mandy, Les, Wendy, Simon, Jo, Adrian, Jenny, Iona, Katy, and Eleanor. Your consistent dedication throughout the year in between busy lives, is the heart of the society. Last weekend was a credit to you all. We are all so proud of each and every one of you.
Throwing things back to John and Mandy with both being new chairmans this year. Although no strangers to bonfire by now, the responsibilities you have individually is a heavy weight. You both keep smiling no matter what, and your passion shines bright even when things get hard. We, as a society, are very lucky to have you.
Another recurring thanks to our President and Director, Mr. Les Pike, who wunt be druv!
Despite setbacks, he has remained steadfast in keeping our new and younger committee members both appreciated and respectful of our traditions.
It was fantastic to see the love for Noddy the scooter parading along with the whole society for another year!
A huge thank you also to his wife Gill, and daughter Toni, who have supported him every step of the way.
Rolling back to our day time celebrations, there was a fantastic spread put on! Thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers on stalls, the ladies and gentleman in the kitchen serving jacket potatoes, and Jenny for putting on games outside! A big thank you to Crowborough Community First Responders , Eridge Dairy , & Sussex Volunteer Fire & Rescue for all attending! Thank you also to our wonderful day time PA Joe Williams, and the entertaining ukulele group! Something a bit different!
However not forgetting the very famous Vintage Bus Rides in association with Steve Denness and Maidstone & District. The village love them! Thank you very much for coming.
Throughout the day we had our one and only David Newman playing the bagpipes. It creates such a beautiful atmosphere and it wouldn’t be bonfire without him. Thank you.
~ 🔥

Rolling into the evening, the tension started to build!
Months of organising all down to this one special night .
But it all unfolded immaculately from what was in our control.
A big thank you to Spencer Holland (SEH Landscapes) & Darren Mitchell along side the fantastic farming team for torch collecting behind the procession — keeping our village and spectators safe.
To John, Eleanor, Jay, Chris, Rachel, Ed, and Spencer for signage and lighting towers, and Richard Padfield for making sure we had torches to light the village.
Another thank you to Eleanor, our Head Marshal, for ensuring the evening ran smoothly — and to all our marshals for stepping up to look after the public and procession. You were faultless and are so appreciated!
Thank you to the determined bucket collectors who helped raise vital funds, the torch-making team, and the clean-up crew the following morning. A smashing job. We had so much good feedback on how tidy the village was Sunday morning.
An overall thank you to the whole Rotherfield & Mark Cross Bonfire Society — you are the foundation.
To Chris Puller and everyone at Sussex Volunteer Fire & Rescue, thank you! We are so lucky to have a brilliant relationship with you guys year upon year. You are all part of the family.
Thank you to the security team for manning our road closures.
Thank you to our evening PA, Paul Woodward, and provider/ driver Hugh! A brilliant team!
An extra thank you to the Penfold Family and Andrew Fermour for use of their fields for the bonfire and car park. We are so grateful to you guys, we hope you enjoyed the evening.
Thank you to all attending societies, floats, Rotherfield Primary School and Pre School, Katharine Jennings Fine Art Studios and Coffee House, and 1st Rotherfield Scout Group. We love getting you all involved. It is your night as much as it is ours.
To The Catts Inn, Kings Arms, Rascals Pizza, Darren, the food vans, and Chris — you kept us all fed and hydrated! Top job as always!
A new thank you to this year, to Sussex Steele all the way from Littlehampton. We appreciated the square was lacking music last year through no fault of our own… but what incredible entertainment they brought to 2026 — you made a brilliant atmosphere!
To all the local shops and businesses who helped sell our programmes (designed and written by Eleanor) — thank you!
To our generous sponsors — you helped us create something truly special.
Particularly COPPARDS & PARKERS. 🤝
Thank you also to Kennedy Bros Engineers Ltd for the use of their forecourt, particularly Harvey for pitching in through the day wherever we needed help! You have all slotted right into our chaotic little village and we wish you all the best!
💫 We apologise if we’ve missed anyone — it was such a huge gathering of incredible people and truly a full community effort.
We do our best to acknowledge everyone, as it’s your free time and hard work that make this possible — all alongside our incredible, dedicated committee that feels more like family every year.
Once again — to the public… THANK YOU!
You make all of our nights completely, and utterly worth it. 🔥🎇
🔥'For Village and Society'🔥
RMCBS
