A mum whose little girl was set alight by a firework at a friend’s garden party is making a safety plea ahead of this year’s rocket displays.
Eleanor Mason’s daughter, Rosie-May, then aged four, was scarred by a stray explosive that hit her in the neck and left her with severe burns.
Rosie-May, who was wearing a knitted hat with a fake plait like the Frozen character Elsa, had been enjoying the evening of hot dogs and playing with friends at the private display on November 5, 2017.
The mum-of-three spoke as a council urged a one-hour firework limit, dubbed the ‘rocket o’clock’ campaign, to reduce noise and distress.
The campaign follows scenes of mayhem across the country on Bonfire Night last year, as people let off fireworks in streets and parks after the lockdown cancelled municipal shows.
Eleanor, now 32, her husband James and their daughter experienced a ‘night of hell’ despite safety instructions being followed during the display.
The rocket, supposed to be part of a multi-shot set that blast upwards before sheering off, whistled out sideways and the flare hit Rosie-May in the neck, setting fire to her coat and part of the plait.
Eleanor, from Cwmbran in South Wales, said: ‘It happened so fast and it was quite a scary experience. Rosie-May was alight around the neck and although she wasn’t engulfed in flames I burnt my hand patting it out.
‘At first my fear was that the firework had hit her face and this would be life-changing. She was in pain and a state of shock, she froze completely as she was surrounded by paramedics and people trying to help.
‘I just wanted to take the pain away and put it onto me.’
Rosie-May, who was left with blisters around her neck and soot on her face, was taken by ambulance to a burns unit at Morriston Hospital in Swansea, where medics shaved her head to take a skin graft.
Eleanor told Metro.co.uk: ‘The burns took two weeks to heal and they got a lot worse before they got better.
‘Because of where the burns were on her neck they wanted to take it from as close to the site as possible because of the pigmentation.
‘They shaved two sides of her scalp and took the skin grafts from there. At the time it was horrifying because she had lovely blonde hair which took her forever to grow and she needed head bandages.’
Rosie-May, who twice underwent surgery and needed five weeks in hospital, has recovered well and now only has one scar on her neck.
‘She’s been so brave,’ Eleanor said. ‘She’s a little trooper.’
Eleanor is now mindful of the damage that rogue fireworks can do, which was also demonstrated by chaotic scenes on the streets last November.
This year, one council has urged people to voluntarily observe a ‘rocket-o-clock’ code to reduce noise and distress on Friday and Saturday. Councillors in Chelmsford, Essex, called on residents to keep displays within an hour beginning at 7.30pm on both days.
Eleanor, who is being supported by the Children’s Burns Trust, said: ‘Supermarkets shouldn’t sell fireworks and people should have some form of a licence to buy them, the same as an organised display would need a licence and safety regulations.
‘We want families to have fun, but to be safe, cautious and sensible. You can be the safest people in the world like we are but it only takes that one firework to go wrong and a fun evening is turned into a night of hell.
‘People also need to consider veterans who may have PTSD and the impact on pets. As a nation, we need to be considerate at this time of year.’
Roy Wilsher, ex-chair of the National Fire Chiefs’ Council and a trustee at the charity, said: ‘Fireworks can be a spectacular way to celebrate, but with both the fire service and the Children’s Burns Trust I have seen first-hand the damage and injury even a small firework can do when things go wrong.
‘Garden displays are never as fantastic as larger organised displays and can cause alarm and distress in your local neighbourhood.
‘The most impressive and safest way to celebrate with fireworks is to go to a professional event.’
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