Meeting discusses Woodcote’s June fireworks display

Graffham Parish Council representatives met with the management of The Woodcote in August after complaints from residents over its fireworks display on 16 June. Herewith a joint statement issued after that meeting, reported back to the council's meeting on 3 September.

Published: 3 September 2025

On 20 August, Graffham Parish Council Chairman Gillian Charlesworth and Deputy Chairman John Bracey met The Woodcote’s General Manager Will Morley along with Jamie Lumsden, Chief Executive of the restaurant’s owner Ledmore Capital.  The purpose of the meeting was to discuss concerns the parish council had received from residents of the village after a firework display at The Woodcote on 16 June.  The parish council felt it would be helpful to have an open discussion with The Woodcote so that concerns could be shared constructively.

During the meeting, The Woodcote team made a number of points in response to the concerns relayed.  They explained that the firework display was carried out by Flashpoint Fireworks, the same professional company that Seaford College uses each year and that other locals in the village have also used, and that everything was of the same F4 firework category that the other displays used, all of which are legally limited to a maximum noise level of 120 decibels.  A pack of supporting documents was provided at the meeting from Flashpoint Fireworks, including a map that Flashpoint Fireworks produced detailing the locations of those local displays and the prevailing wind direction on the night, being from the southwest.  It is for this latter reason that Jason Mayes, the Director of Flashpoint Fireworks, believes contributed to an impression of a louder display as the wind direction on the evening from the southwest was towards the village.

The Woodcote emphasised that firework displays are expected to be very rare, with no further displays planned for the foreseeable future.  They also confirmed that if any future displays were considered, they would explore options for lower-volume effects
and provide advance notice to the community.

During the discussion, the unpleasant and sometimes personal comments made about The Woodcote and those associated with it was also raised.  The Woodcote team expressed their disappointment at some of the personal or offensive comments made on social media and elsewhere but stressed that they welcome constructive feedback and want to build a positive relationship with the village.

We all agreed that there is no place for rude and offensive comments, only for legitimately held views from all perspectives, and the parish council representatives undertook to play their part in ensuring a constructive atmosphere and dialogue.

In this spirit, they also mentioned the recent advertising flyer for a Woodcote barbecue on the same day as the annual Graffham Village fete.  The Woodcote team explained that the intention of the flyer (which was only sent locally) was simply to encourage local engagement, not to compete with village events.  Nevertheless, The Woodcote team acknowledged that it would be mindful of village dates when planning promotions, while also needing to continue their own operations.

Finally, numerous initiatives were discussed to continue to welcome residents of the village at The Woodcote, which confirmed that they were working on ways in which to do this.

The parish council representatives stated that they would be reporting back to the next parish council meeting (on 3 September),
and this note wasagreed as a fair summary of the discussion.