The historic Edenbridge Bonfire Society is well known for poking fun at celebrities

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Edenbridge Bonfire Society has been poking fun at infamous celebrities since 1994.

Following on from the 2024 effigy of Ticketmaster after the Oasis ticket fiasco, this year Edenbridge Bonfire Society have decided to go back to the origins of how bonfire night began as they (and the public) feel the Prime Minister has already started the destruction of Parliament himself.

The 11-metre effigy of UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was unveiled this morning before it is moved to become the centre piece at the Kent town’s annual bonfire celebrations which raises thousands of pounds for local charities, this year on Saturday 8th November, alongside a giant effigy of Guy Fawkes.

Following a public vote which saw the Prime Minister receive more votes than any other figures currently in the UK news, it was seen as the perfect opportunity to remind the nation why we celebrate Bonfire Night. The giant effigy is wearing the traditional hat and frilly ruff we normally associate with Guy Fawkes, and holding a lit torch. Sir Keir also has a local connection to the area as he was raised in nearby Oxted (Surrey) and even played football at one of the local clubs in Edenbridge.

Andrea Deans, one of the giant effigy creators at co-chair of the Bonfire Society, commented: “We feel the public have chosen well this year when you look at how the current government is treating its citizens. There were so many elements we could include on the effigy, and it was interesting working out how these could be represented visually.”

Bill Cummings, Chair of the Bonfire Society, said: “This decision is a great opportunity to remind everyone why we have Bonfire Night in the first place, a message that has perhaps been forgotten over more recent years.”

Reece Hook, another effigy creator, said “Many of my friends are from the farming community and I know they will be delighted with who we have chosen this year.”

Other contenders for our 2025 event included Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, Andrew Tate, Baroness Michelle Mone and Angela Rayner.

Past targets for this Bonfire Society’s effigy have been a real mixture of public figures, including Ticketmaster, Sadiq Khan, Liz Truss, Boris Johnson, Harvey Weinstein, Donald Trump, Katie Hopkins, Lance Armstrong and Anne Robinson.

The burning of effigies is a traditional celebration of the 5th of November, particularly across Sussex. The intention behind the tradition is to bring a light-hearted twist and an element of fun to the proceeding and to raise awareness of this event – which raises thousands of pounds for local charities and community organisations. Edenbridge Bonfire Society only started to feature giant effigies at their event since the mid-nineties when they were no longer able to light a huge bonfire in the local recreation ground.

Edenbridge Bonfire Society has been celebrating Bonfire Night for nearly 100 years and this year will see over 500 people participating in the torchlit parade through Edenbridge High Street from 14 local organisations. The length of the procession will be 230m, the same as 2 lengths of a football pitch.

An event of this scale is not possible without the multitude of volunteers who give their time freely, as well as the businesses in the town that support the Society, either financially or with materials and services. It takes over 100 volunteers to put on the event and many local businesses also get involved whether through sponsorship or helping with other much needed support activities.

For more information about Edenbridge Bonfire Night visit www.edenbridgebonfire.co.uk