How Warminster Pulled Together to Save the Day.

A Warminster warehouse manager was one of many who came to the rescue of an annual Garrison event  on Friday.

Chris Spender,  who has worked at  Junction 18 at Stephens Way, Bath Road, for the past 17 years,  was on hand on November 5th when the success of the Garrison's bonfire was threatened by vandals who decided to set light to the fire in the early hours of the morning. 

Chris describes what happened:  "My step-daughter Sophie Crichton works in the barracks and she rang first thing on Friday morning to tell me that the bonfire, planned to be centrepiece of the Garrison Firework Display that evening, had been burned down."

"I had been working with Sgt Steve Perkins at the barracks ever since the end of August on collecting material for this bonfire.  I went up to the field to meet Steve and the GSM, Adam Gazzard, and saw what had happened.  Because I have lived in Warminster for 27 years I know a lot of people in the town and on the trading estates and thought it was worth a few phone calls to see what help I could enlist. 

I was able to ring round and tell them what had happened and ask for their help.  Sgt Perkins organised the transport and during the day there were 12 lorries out collecting pallets to provide fuel for the fire. 

"All the firms I contacted on the surrounding trading estates in Warminster, Westbury, Frome, Trowbridge and Sutton Veny agreed to help - not one of them said no.  Everybody came together to support this charity event and we have to thank them all for their generosity.  I think everybody felt that the army does a lot for the town and they wanted to help them out." 

"Whoever burned the bonfire down should feel bad.  This is a charity event for families with young children involved and without a bonfire it just wouldn't have been the same.  Warminster rallied round and thanks to everybody's generosity the event went ahead with what some say was a bigger bonfire than the original - built over two months. This one was built in nine hours!"

A report of the event can be seen at http://www.warminsterpeople.co.uk/groups/entertainment/Warminster-garrison-hosts-bonfire-night-quot/story-10200289-detail/story.html