British fireworks 'champion of champions' crowned

West Sussex firm SelStar Fireworks won the two-day competition

A fireworks display team has said it "means the world" that they successfully defended their "champion of champions" title at the British Fireworks Championships.

SelStar Fireworks, from Selsey, in West Sussex, won the two-day event in Plymouth Sound on Wednesday and Thursday. BBB Fireworks from Battle, East Sussex, was named as runner-up, 1st Galaxy Fireworks from Nottingham finished in third place, and Devon-based Sonic Fireworks came sixth.

This year's event included 10-minute displays from six previous championships winners as they competed for the "champion of champions" title.

Director Stephen Harriott says it "means the world to the team" to retain the title, having last won in 2019.

BBB Fireworks won the Young People's Choice Award

Mr Harriott said: "We knew it was going to be very tough to retain our "champion of champions" title against such a high standard of teams.

"Design work started over nine months ago and hundreds of hours of prep work is carried out before the team of 15 set the display out on site."

He said the team, which was awarded 121 points by the judging panel, was on its way home "for a well earned celebration and some rest".

The six competitors presented a 10-minute display, three on Wednesday night and the remaining three on Thursday night

Judges said they had been looking for the quality of the competitors' performances, compliance with brief, symmetry, patterns and timing, plus the overall artistic impression of the displays.

BBB Fireworks won the Young People's Choice Award which gave the opportunity for care-experienced young people to be involved in the judging process.

The young people gave the judges their scores based on variety of fireworks and sequences, rhythm of the display, use of colour and the "wow" factor.

Matt Southam BBB Fireworks said they had ignited more than 500 fireworks in the 15-second long finale.

"We went full out, we threw everything at it," he added.