About UKFR
Thank you so much for visiting my website. If you are a member of the public in the UK and are looking for help and advice on any aspect of fireworks and their use, you should find the answer here somewhere. Whether that’s for a small-scale back garden display, or you’re looking to see what the current firework laws are, or planning something bigger like a wedding display, my extensive free guides and tips will help you every step of the way.
Not sure where to start? Try my Beginners Start Here page which breaks fireworks down into manageable chunks to better direct you to the firework guides you need to read.
You do not need to register, pay or sign up to any mailing list to read all of my guides. There are absolutely no catches or ulterior motives and I don’t even sell fireworks. UKFR is driven by my love and passion for fireworks as a hobbyist: Read my guides and articles. Learn how to set up and use fireworks. Then go and fire a safe and spectacular display.
Where it all started
Back in 1997 I decided to put on a fireworks display in my back garden to celebrate Bonfire Night with a traditional party. There were no guides, websites or video then to help me choose the best fireworks nor much in the way of safety advice beyond the fireworks code. Predictably some fireworks were better than others and despite a rather large arsenal (£500+ in 1997 money) there wasn’t a single safety incident.
I figured that if better advice and guides on fireworks and their use were available I could have saved considerable time and money, so I decided to fill this gap and share what I had learned. After working out how to code a website (there was no Facebook or YouTube back then), UKFR was born in 1999 – or “UK Firework Review” to use its full and original name. Being the sole authoritative website about fireworks it was picked up by the national press in October 1999 and the rest, as they say, is history.
Throughout the noughties I specialised in filming and reviewing consumer fireworks; nearly £30,000 RRP worth by the end of the decade. Retailers eventually saw the value in allowing customers to “see before they buy” and now every reputable shop has online video of their fireworks, making reviews less relevant. As a result I now concentrate more on safety advice, guides to help people buy the right types of fireworks, plus an eclectic mix of firework-related articles.
UKFR's aims
My aims have remained broadly the same over the last two decades:
- To promote and encourage safe, legal and responsible fireworks use.
- To provide the UK public with extensive guides on every aspect of fireworks that are relevant to consumers.
- To provide a pro-fireworks message and reassure the public that fireworks are fully legal to purchase and let off all year round.
- To offer my content free of charge and without the need for registration, with minimal distraction from adverts.
When used safely and responsibly, fireworks pose no greater danger than any other form of family entertainment. Firework displays are also a tradition that stretches back for hundreds of years and have the potential to bring people and communities together, more relevant now than ever after our Covid-related periods of lockdown and isolation.
It is also our fundamental right to let off some fireworks in our own back gardens to celebrate a happy occasion.
So let’s join together and enjoy fireworks, to use them responsibly and in a neighbour-friendly way, whether that’s in our back gardens or at community events. And above all to take time and care in setting them up and firing them safely, so that our wonderful traditions might long continue.
UKFR's independence from the fireworks trade
It comes as a surprise to many readers when I say that I don’t sell fireworks myself, but this is indeed the case. By keeping clear of retail – I don’t even work on commission or track advert clicks – you can be assured that I have no ulterior motives in running this site, nor ever put monetisation before honest, trustworthy content. It’s my passion for pyro that motivates me to keep going.
UKFR’s running costs are funded in part by myself; from selling advertising banners and from the kind voluntary donations from some of my readers.