FIREWORKS enthusiasts boosted the Children in Need Appeal by over £4,000 as they celebrated the 400th anniversary of Gunpowder Plot.

And £1,500 of that amount was raised by Mosley Common's own 'RocketRev' Julian Hartley and his colleagues from the United Kingdom Firework Review Organisation who staged an impressive display on Friday night at Astley St Stephen's School.

The Vicar of Mosley Common and Rick Walker-Smith led a team of pyrotechnics specialists who kept a crowd of 350 people enthralled as they lit up the sky to help the needy 400 years after Guy Fawkes was foiled in his bid to blow up the Houses of Parliament.

The rocket vicar explained: "I have always been interested in fireworks since I was a little kid. Since I moved to Mosley Common I have organised fireworks event for the church and school and a few years ago I joined the UKFR.

"We promote the safe, sensible and good neighbourly enjoyment of fireworks. We film our displays and review fireworks and have a thriving internet forum that has got a lot of enthusiasts.

"We advocate safety and encourage people to enjoy fireworks in safety.

"We decided it would be a good idea to raise money for Children in Need this being the 400th anniversary and are delighted to have raised so much. Thanks are due to those people from Mosley Common St John's, Astley St Stephen's and Tyldesley St George's for their support."