REMEMBER, remember, the 5th of November is the rallying cry for one of Britain's most notable' nationwide celebrations.

But not everyone knows why bonfires rage across the country and although the name Guy Fawkes may be familiar, the details of his exact fate may not be so wll-known.

With more than 400 years of history behind the event, there will be easily as many sites to choose from. Here are some sites to enlighten' you.

Bonfire.org, http://www.bonefire.org/, offers great quick history notes, links and e-cards you can send to other Guy Fawkes enthusiasts.

His namesake site at http://www.guyfawkes.org.uk/ claims the British celebration reaches as far as Newfoundland Canada and New Zealand. It does have a safety information page, giving us advice.

When organising a Bonfire Night event, letting your local fire department know in advance and doing some safety research is a good idea. Start with the fire service website at http://www.fireservice.co.uk/safety/bonfires.php and check its page.

It seems this year the residents of Guy Fawkes' home town of York are not impressed with the public fireworks display event being cancelled for health and safety reasons. Read about it on our sister paper, The Northern Echo's website at http://www.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/display.var.1775910.0.bonfire_blow_in_guy_fawkes_birthplace.php.

If you want to read excerpts from Guy Fawkes's confessions, visit the National Archive website at http://www.national archives.gov.uk/ museum/item.

asp?item_id=19 . It's a great chance to learn about the man behind the event.

But there is a flip side to every story. And despite the treachery and treason of this event, over time as the smoke of history has cleared, a humourous take on it has emerged. Take Guido Fawkes' blog' at http://www.order-order.com/. Very entertaining, unless you are a parliamentarian taking it all very seriously.

But Bonfire Night is about more than lighting fires. It's about gatherings - and they lead naturally to food. Hookery Cookery, http://www.hookery cookery.com/ bfire003.htm, has a great Guy Fawkes Casserole recipe, with lots of powder' - chili and curry - to keep you warm while standing around the fire. You could also try Fireworks at http://www.fireworks.co.uk/party/ recipes.html for recipes like Bonfire Toffee.

But enough food for thought.

It seems a good time to reminisce and East London Barry does on http://www.barryoneoff.co.uk/html/bonfire_night.html .

"You would be amazed at the things you could do with a penny banger! When I look back now I wonder how on earth none of my mates or I were not seriously injured. Plenty more were. It must have been nearing the end of the fifties when we went out on our own with a pocket full of them," he recalls. The site is a fun documentary of 50 years ago.

And don't forget you can post your Bonfire Nights and other community gatherings in our Events section for free. Simply go to http://events.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk.

Go to Send Us Your News on the home page of our site to find out how you can send in images, videos and news updates for posting on the site and use in-paper.

n Where to enjoy bonfire night, Page 17