The Malta Independent 26 April 2024, Friday
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Fund to focus on improving safety in firework factories launched for the second year running

Monday, 25 March 2019, 10:32 Last update: about 6 years ago

The Malta Arts Council has launched the second edition of a fund for firework factories that work on a voluntary basis. 

The aim of this fund is so that each firework factory on our islands will have the opportunity to improve its infrastructure, so that its volunteers will have a safe place to work from, both during manufacture and during the lighting up of the fireworks. It also serves to invest in resources that will help them to improve the quality of the local pyrotechnic product when it comes to security. 

This project aims to incite the respective firework factories to come up with ideas and proposals themselves to restore the actual factories, invest in their structure, as well as in machinery and tools that facilitate the manufacture of fireworks, which in turn make production safer. It also aims to help them invest in equipment to improve security and in learning resources regarding security as well whilst looking into more collaboration between the firework factories. 

The Malta Arts Council is also organising a First Aid Course in collaboration with the Malta Red Cross. For the firework factories to receive their funds, applicants are obliged to nominate a member of their respective firework factory to attend this course. Whoever doesn’t attend will not be eligible for funds. 

This funding programme has an allocation of € 170,000 for 2019. Each firework factory can receive up to € 5,000. The projects in question must all be of an infrastructural nature. The fund is open to licensed fireworks factories registered as voluntary organisations. In the case of fireworks factories forming part of band clubs, the band club needs to be registered as a voluntary organisation. 

Applications must be submitted by hand at the Malta Arts Council by no later than the 14th of April 2019 until 12.00 pm (noon).

During his address, Justice and Culture Minister Owen Bonnici spoke of the importance to keep on strengthening these traditions. “This firework culture within our islands goes back to quite a number of years and nowadays we can say that this forms part of our local cultural heritage. These customs also form an intrinsic part of our identity as Maltese and both locals and foreigners alike eagerly anticipate firework spectacles. As a government, we are committed to keeping on strengthening this sector, especially when it comes to security.”

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