Clear away any rubbish and garden waste like bottles, cans, flammable liquids, anything containing plastic, foam or paint, rubber tyres to avoid poisonous fumes. Dig a pit a few inches deep and a few feet wider than you want your fire to be. Then place garden rocks, bricks or heavy logs around the perimeter of the pit. Make a flat bed of charcoal briquets at the centre. Ensure that your materials are dry. Build a 'teepee' shape from light tinder (twigs, bark, grass, dried leaves, mosses) over the briquets. Follow this with small kindling, at 45 degree angles, meeting in the middle. Leave gaps for oxygen to reach the tinder.

Lay medium-sized sticks (10cm diameter) parallel to each other on either side of the teepee. Build up the kindling in five perpendicular layers. Place large logs at intervals around the base.Ensure that some long, thin pieces of kindling are touching the base and the top of the tower. Tie these pieces together firmly with twine to maintain the shape. Light a match and drop it inside your teepee. (Never use oil, petrol or methylated spirits.) Add wood as needed. Have buckets of water, sand and a fire extinguisher on hand. Don't leave the fire to smoulder, put it out completely with water and pile dirt on top. Never throw fireworks on it, used or not.

If you live in a built-up area, make sure you check with you neighbours first - you don't want to be anti social. If you're gradually building up the wood, check that no animals have crawled inside, especially hedgehogs have a habit of dong this. Check the wind direction, bearing in mind it could change and keep it away from anything that could catch fire, fenses, long/dry grass etc.