Earlier this year Bolton NEWT committee members set out a plan to host a Halloween event for the south side of Breightmet. What started as a small project involving a gazebo with three singing pumpkins and the making of witches' brooms with the kids, it blossomed into a spooky ghostly graveyard with ghosts, a pumpkin patch with pumpkin bodies, two clay modelling tables, hand-made wands for the kids and a Cauldron with Councillor Warren dressed as the NEWT Halloween witch! NEWT members set about trying to find grant funding to support out project but it was through Councillor Warren who managed to aquire the funding we needed from 'Clarion Futures'. Without their massive support and assistance this event simply wouldn't have been possible. Kevin from Clarion Futures went above and beyond to help by purchasing the items we required and then having them deliverred to his home address so that we could recieve the items we needed on time!
Before the event took place we had to prepare the wands, the broom handles, the brush, make the graveyard, make the cauldron, design the event flyers, make a map of the event, acquire the land owners permission, write a risk assesment, write an itinerary for volunteers, create a video to show case the event, ensure our public liability covered the event and finally run around the whole of Breightmet trying to find people who would donate to support the event.
The first video was made to show case our planned event and it was probably a little bit too spooky!
The combined volunteer hours of local residents who put time into this event to have the equipment and items ready on time involved hundreds of hours. I'd like to say a big thank you to the following supporters and volunteers; Simon Gilkes, Adele Warren, Jasmine Renold, Ellie Renold, Sue Banks, David Banks, Kevin from Clarion Future, Alex Warren, James Warren, Sarah, Neve Warren, John Haslam, Paula & Stephen, Chris at Hoover and the Community Champion at Morrisons on Bury Road. So was the event a success on the night? Did the south Breightmet Community want community events like this? See for yourself!
NEWT made over 75 brooms, the kids made over 90 clay models, 85 wands had been handed out to the kids and we had over 160 people attend the Halloween Event! We even made a Halloween video to showcase what a phenomenal success the event was!
That wasn't enough though, we even made it into the Bolton News!
https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/17194662.fun-and-games-at-breightmet-halloween-spooktacular
Thanks for reading and we hope to see you next year at our 2019 Halloween Event!