Noel Tobin, a firework safety campaigner and former lighting technician at the Royal Opera House, has died aged 80. In the late 1960s, Tobin and his wife Gerry became alarmed by the number of fatalities and life-changing injuries caused by fireworks. In 1968, hospital A&E departments treated more than 2,200 casualties over the bonfire party weekend, including lost eyes and limbs and severe burns.
Campaign for firework regulation
As part of a group of young families, Tobin set up a campaign jointly with Mother magazine and gathered 50,000 signatures for a petition demanding government regulation of fireworks and a ban on the most dangerous explosives. Over time, the campaign succeeded in raising the minimum purchase age to 18, prohibiting certain hazardous fireworks to the public, introducing additional safety requirements, and mandating training for local authority displays. Tobin acted as press officer, lobbying ministers and MPs, travelling across the UK to meet affected families, and engaging with manufacturers and trade bodies.
Career in dance and lighting
Born in Dublin to Evelyn and James Tobin, a detective sergeant in the Garda, Tobin studied dance after school, encouraged by his sister Vivienne. He moved to London in 1963 to train full-time as a dancer and met Geraldine Morrissey through West End theatre work; they married in 1966. By 1969, Tobin was working in lighting at the Prince of Wales theatre on shows such as Promises Promises by Burt Bacharach. In 1973, he joined the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, where he remained until his retirement in 2007.
Community and legacy
Tobin became a leading figure in the Covent Garden community, serving as a member and later chairman of the Covent Garden Forum, established in 1974 to oppose redevelopment plans. The Forum helped save the neighbourhood from demolition and a proposed concrete conference centre, working with the Greater London Council to create a blueprint for a vibrant, sustainable area. Tobin suffered a stroke and endured 15 years of poor health. He is survived by Gerry and their daughters, Natasha and Fiona.
