Alnwick Halloween House set to make spook-tacular return

Leo and Charlotte Watson have turned their Allerburn Lea home into a horror-themed show to entertain the local community.

And this year they promise it’s going to be bigger and better than ever.

"We’ve been putting it out over the past week and it’s now all up and ready,” said Leo.

"We think it’s going to be amazing, bigger and better than last year, so we hope lots of people will come along to take a look and enjoy it.”

It is the fourth successive year the couple have put on the display and once again they are raising money for charity.

"The chosen charity this year is Chameleon Buddies,” said Charlotte.

"This small local charity helps women in the UK and Kenya. The charity is a passionate advocate for providing hope for people struggling to live with life changing injuries following traumatic childbirths, and aims to help women and their families adapt to these changes.

“The donations will help provide birth trauma and stoma workshops here in Northumberland and send excess stoma supplies to Kenya, where they quite literally change these women’s lives for the better.”

Last year they raised nearly £3,000 for The Samaritans and Lymphoma Action.

"We raised £2,960 last year and are hoping to beat that total with the help of the new additions that have come all the way from the USA,” said Leo. “These include some very large skeletons which are pretty impressive.”

He admits there is a lot of hard work involved in staging the display – but that the smiles and scares make it worthwhile.

"It’s a real thrill when you see the interest it gets,” said Leo. “There’s a lot of work goes into the lighting and special effects but you get a real buzz when you see the kids’ faces.”

There will be a collection box at the display with a suggested donation of £2.50.

There is also a Just Giving page with a QR code to donate directly. Visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/charlotte-watson31

The display runs from Monday, October 24 until Halloween night on October 31 from 6pm to 8pm each night.