A fireworks event which attracted hundreds of complaints last year due to overcrowding has this time held what it believes to be the best night yet after a raft of safety measures were put in place.

Last year, Conkers' annual display at the National Forest attraction in Rawdon Road, Moira, attracted more than 6,000 people leaving many worried for their own safety as there were so many people.

Spectators complained of being crushed at last year's event

However, following last year’s fiasco bosses at Conkers investigated the issues and a range of measures were put in place at the weekend to ensure this fireworks event went off with a bang.

This year, around 4,500 people attended.

Chris Sturdy, regional operations manager at Conkers, said today: "Feedback received from visitors and staff suggested that the whole evening ran very smoothly. The safety measures put in place for this year's event helped to ensure that the families attending had a great time at what we believe was our best fireworks night yet."

One of the changes included creating an additional entry point, which meant crowds did not have to all file through the Discovery Centre building - something which had been the focus of many complaints.

There was also a barcode ticketing system which allowed swifter entry for visitors into the site.

Fireworks spectacle in 2016 at Conkers
Fireworks spectacle at Conkers

It also revised its event safety and management plan and shared this with key outside organisations: the police, ambulance service, council licensing and environmental health services ahead of the event.

What changes were put in place this year?

Conkers listed its amendments for this year which include the following:

• The ticketing policy concentrated on advance sales and bar coded tickets, so that customers could be quickly processed;

• An additional entry point allowed guests direct access to the lakeside rather than just via the discovery centre building itself;

• Some of the catering and funfair facilities were relocated further away from the discovery centre to provide more viewing space and help to encourage people to circulate;

The fireworks display at Conkers is always attended by many
The fireworks display at Conkers is always attended by many

• There was a dedicated area for families with pushchairs and disabled users with wheelchairs;

• Conkers contracted with a professional company with SIA registered stewards, supported and enhanced by its own staff and Rotary volunteer marshals. This introduces another level of stewardship to the event;

• Dedicated marshals with 'Ask me for help' hi-vis vests;

• Additional content to the evening to entice customers to arrive earlier and to stay longer, thus helping with the flow of customers over a longer period of time.