Craigyhill bonfire builders have addressed "unfair negativity" surrounding this year's world record attempt saying they are doing all they can to ensure it is safe.
Last year the Larne bonfire reached a world record setting height of 202ft,but was not officially recognised by Guinness World Records as they were unable to pay the costs associated with their adjudication.
David, a member of the Craigyhill Bonfire Committee, said the group discussed whether or not to go for an official world record this year, as some were happy knowing what they had achieved the year before. But following a vote, they felt that it was worth one more attempt to be officially recognised, he says.
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He said that over the past few years they have made a lot of effort to move the celebrations around bonfires forward and make the July 11 and 12 celebrations a more inclusive event by removing flags, emblems and imagery that could cause offence.
The builders say people have been travelling from across Northern Ireland to help build the bonfire and organise the two-day family fun-day that will coincide with the Eleventh Night.
David also stressed that the builders have been engaging with the Fire Service and police in order to ensure the event runs smoothly and that the safety of everyone associated with the bonfire's creation is the number one priority.
Organisers say around 35,000 people from across Northern Ireland gathered to watch the bonfire set alight in 2022 and David believes that even more will turn up this year.
The event will also feature a night of free music and entertainment with renowned artists DJ Scott Project and Sam Jones performing alongside local DJs and two DJs who won a competition to have their first live performance at the event.
Speaking to Belfast Live, David addressed some of the perceptions surrounding the bonfire and said that it has only gone ahead with the full support of the Craigyhill community.
He said: "It has been very disheartening for a lot of the guys seeing some of the comments that are being made about us in the media, where there seems to be a lot of unfair negativity surrounding the bonfire, while ignoring the positive aspects of what we are doing and how we are actually bringing not just our community together, but people from across the world.
"For the past year our committee has been organising and fundraising to put the bonfire together and we would not have gone ahead with our record breaking attempt if we did not have the full support of the people of Craigyhill.
"We were not sure if we were going to go for the Guinness record at first, because some of us were happy knowing ourselves that we had broken the record, but after a committee vote, others wanted to see the bonfire be officially recognised so we decided to give it another attempt.
"Safety has always been our number one priority at the bonfire and all of our builders wear harnesses and hard hats while working and have also taken a bonfire safety course with the fire service. We also have a padlocked security fence in place around the bonfire to make sure that nobody is able to access the site and put themselves at risk.
"We are also using telehandlers and cranes for the taller sections of the bonfires to further ensure the safety of the builders taking part.
"We are fully aware of the risks though and understand that there will always be an element of danger in what we are doing, but it is a risk that we are willing to accept, similar to any dangerous job or hobby like working on scaffolding or TT road racing.
"While we do get some nasty messages, these are greatly outnumbered by the messages of support that we have received from as far away as New Zealand and it is these messages of encouragement that keep pushing us on because we know that we are reaching people across the world."
Alongside the lighting of the bonfire there will be a two day family fun day and night time entertainment, with the builders working closely with the police to ensure there are no problems with traffic or problems on the night.
David added: "Our aim is to make this an inclusive cultural celebration that changes the perception of bonfires. We have removed flags and emblems and our focus is on bringing as many people together and show that this is something that can be enjoyed by everyone.
"We are hosting a two day family funday from July 10, which will be free for everyone to attend and we have organised for DJ Scott Project and Sam Jones to put on a show that will also be completely free for everyone in attendance.
"We have been fundraising throughout the year in order to make this happen for the community and during our sponsored walks we have also been raising money for a brilliant charity, Angel Wishes, that supports those going through cancer treatment and their families.
"We are expecting around 40,000 people to attend on the night and are organising measures to make sure this is as safe as possible, including hiring 10 SIA accredited security guards to manage the event and we will be working with police with regards to traffic management.
"Walking around the estate you can already feel the buzz building for the big day.
"We are hoping that we are able to raise the funds to bring Guinness adjudicators down to have our world record officially recognised, but if we can't we will still be happy because we know that we are home to the tallest bonfire in the world."
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