A NEW organiser for Kendal's annual firework spectacular is being sought. It follows a decision by Kendal South Westmorland Rotary Club (KSW Rotary) not to continue organising future displays on the Castle.

KSW Rotary began organising the event in 2011 but in a statement released today it said that "reluctantly and with regret" a decision had been made not to continue.

The club says that it does not have the resources or "in-house expertise" to ensure all safety requirements from The UK Health & Safety Executive are met.

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It follows an incident at the 2015 display when a six-year-old girl's jacket caught alight after debris fell from the sky.

The statement from Rotary reads: "The objective of KSW Rotary was to make a community service contribution for the enjoyment of Kendal residents. "After the 2015 event, KSW Rotary undertook a thorough review of the precautions taken to ensure the safety of spectators on the Kendal Castle mound and the surrounding streets to ensure compliance with the requirements of UK Health and Safety legislation.

"The conclusion of our investigation was that KSW Rotary does not have the resources and in-house expertise to continue, not least due to the onerous responsibility and liability that is required of members to comply with current legislation.

"The fireworks display was funded by the cash collection made at the event, supplemented by a grant from Kendal Town Council. Surplus income has been retained in a KSW Rotary contingency fund which is available to any local organisation prepared to undertake responsibility for organising future fireworks events.

"KSW Rotary is also prepared to provide advice if requested."

Kendal Town Council is now seeking a new organiser. It released a statement thanking KSW Rotary members for all their hard work over the past five years.

It added that Kendal Town Council will happily be involved in discussions "with any organisations or groups who may like to consider re-establishing this event."