THE blue touchpaper has been lit on a sports club's plans to light up the skies of a South Lakeland town with an organised fireworks display.

Kendal Rugby Club's new ground, which is currently under construction on Shap Road, is set to host the public pyrotechnics in November, replacing the event that used to be held on Kendal Castle.

That display was organised by Kendal South Westmorland Rotary Club which decided in April 2016 not to organise future displays. The club said it had made the decision with regret but did not have the resources or "in-house expertise" to ensure all the safety requirements from The UK Health & Safety Executive are met.

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 Winter Festival and Fireworks Display at the rugby club will take place on Friday, November 3.

Stephen Green, chairman of KRUFC, said: "The club is very pleased to put this on and bring the display back to the town."

Kendal Town Council agreed to provide a £3,500 grant to support the event, with further donations coming from the club itself, the Rotary Club of Kendal South Westmorland and the Rotary Club of Kendal. The council said the estimated cost of the event would be £10,000.

Steve Whitehead, director of rugby at the club, has been working on bringing back a display to the town. He said it was the type of event the club was looking to host as it aims to become more community-orientated following its change of home.

"It's for the people of South Lakeland and it's free to attend," he said. "It's going to be a spectacular celebration and it's perfect for us to host, and it's something we want to continue to run for the foreseeable future.

"We are moving from what's been pretty much a club focusing on itself to being a facility that's open to everyone.

"It's always going to be a rugby club first and foremost, but we want to take the entirety of South Lakeland with us on the journey as we grow. To do that we're going to be more open to all."

Two separate companies had also approached Kendal Town Council with plans to host a display at Kendal Castle before the rugby club's proposal was backed with the grant.