Every Poynton Bonfire Night needs someone willing to take on the biggest job in the club. This year, that’s Jon Fuller; a local resident, father and business owner.
He’s spent the months since taking on the role balancing a long list most people never see: equipment checks, vendors, council applications, risk assessments, bar stock, security, skips, fireworks, pallets, the band, fairground rides, lighting, toilets, fencing, electrics, the police, the fire station, straw, volunteers, street cones and insurance. There’s a team to share some of that, but the buck stops with the Bonfire Officer.
Where it comes from
Jon’s reasons for taking it on go back a long way. “I grew up watching that kind of giving,” he says. “When my mum wasn’t raising six of us, she was at church events or out doing charitable work. My dad was heavily involved in the junior section of the local rugby club, so giving something back feels like the obvious thing.” For Jon, it’s simple: if everyone able to give a bit of time to people who need it does so, it’s not just rewarding for them, it makes the places we live in more pleasant, safer, and better to be part of.
He’s open, too, about the harder parts of his own story sitting alongside that. Just before moving to Poynton, fixing up the house, getting married and having his son, Jon lost his father, having already lost his mother a few years before. “Looking back over their lives helps me shape my own, and what I want our son to grow up around.”
The job itself
Round Table members, past Bonfire Officers and volunteers all want the detail, what’s changing, and whether the logistics hold up. People care about everything, from what the bar serves to which vendors and band are booked, and like a chance to think a change through before it lands.
Much of what’s different in 2026 comes from feedback and groundwork laid in previous years: the bar has moved, there’s more lighting, a new ticketing system, a stronger push on marketing, and a changed firework line-up. More local vendors are joining this year too, with a proper mix of savoury and sweet rather than a row of the same thing. There’s also an application in for a small prosecco bar in the family area, alongside soft drinks and sweets. “None of it is tested until the night,” Jon says, “which is why the month running up to it doesn’t leave much sleep.”
What the role actually teaches you
Everyone who’s done the job tells Jon the same thing; the best pint of the year is the first one after the event and the clear-up. “I’m starting to believe them.” What caught him off guard was how long suppliers take to come back, how one small change in one place knocks the logistics somewhere else entirely, and how long an improvement actually takes in practice. Cleaning tents, new signage, moving the store, clearing out what isn’t used, it all eats time, usually time away from home. The joke in his house is that his wife has become a bonfire widow.
For Jon, a good night starts with safety, then enjoyment, children and adults leaving with a warm feeling, plus the knowledge that they’ve supported charity while having a great time. “For the volunteers, nothing beats that. My side of it is to be well organised, and to make the tidy-down as smooth as possible, so they can get to the drinks and food afterwards happy. They’ve earned it.”
Going the extra mile
Jon’s dedication to the role has been clear from the start. Many of the tasks that normally run right up against the wire have been ticked off early this year, giving the team more breathing room heading into November. He’s also been keen to push improvements further than the job strictly requires, including visiting other bonfire and fireworks events elsewhere to see what works well and bring fresh ideas back to Poynton.
What’s changing for 2026
A number of changes are landing this year to improve the experience for everyone coming through the gates:
- The site layout has been reworked, with the bar and stage moved for better flow and sound quality, and a dedicated food vendor area created
- The family area has been upgraded with a second bar, so families can grab drinks and snacks close by, including a cheeky prosecco for the parents
- Lighting and signage have been improved across the site, making it easier to find your way around
- The event has been rebranded, with everything from the roadside banners to the bar menus redesigned
- Refreshing the bar tent with a thorough clean and new sign
- A new ticket platform, Zeffy, is in use this year, built specifically for fundraising. Following feedback about booking fees, tickets now carry none, and there’s also the option to add a donation directly to Poynton Round Table at checkout. Because we can claim Gift Aid on those donations, even a small amount per ticket adds up, if 4,000 buyers added £1 each, that’s an extra £5,000 for local charities and community groups. (Zeffy will also ask for a % contribution to support their own platform at checkout, this is entirely optional, just select “Custom” and enter £0 if you’d rather not.)
Why it’s all worth it
At the end of it all, Jon comes back to the same thing: the Bonfire is Poynton Round Table’s biggest fundraiser of the year, and every bit of effort behind it is in service of raising as much as possible for local causes. The six months of planning, the sleepless final weeks, the suppliers chased, the logistics reshuffled, none of it is really about the night itself. It’s about what that night makes possible afterwards: donations to local charities, PTAs, and community groups who rely on events like this to keep doing their work. For Jon, that’s the real measure of success, not just a good night out, but a genuine difference made for the town.
Passing it on
Next year’s Bonfire Officer is this year’s deputy, so the role won’t be entirely new to them when the baton passes again. Handing it over, Jon says, will be emotional. The one thing he wants them to know: Round Table and the volunteers are there to support whoever takes it on. All they have to do is ask.
Tickets
Poynton Round Table tries to keep prices as low as possible, and believes this year’s tickets are great value for what’s on offer:
- Adult: £13.50
- Child: £5
- Family of 4: £32
Poynton Bonfire Night is on Saturday 7th November at Poynton Park. Tickets and full event details at poyntonroundtable.co.uk/bonfire.
