A Swindon family who host an annual Halloween event for charity are thrilled to be back doing what they love after a house fire halted the tradition.
If you have passed through Kingshill in the last week, you may have noticed inflatable pumpkins, ghosts and other spooky decorations in the front garden of number 130.
Claire Cox has been running the Creepy Allotment for the last seven years, raising money for Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity (SANDS), supporting anyone affected by the death of a baby, after her niece Annabelle was stillborn nine years ago.
But the spectacular display was unable to go ahead last year following a house fire, where an iPhone charger suddenly exploded.
“The house was ablaze within three minutes”, said Claire. “I had to literally crawl out of the house.
“It was absolutely terrible. I was staying at my brother’s house in a caravan at the bottom of his garden for 13 months while the house was being repaired.
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“When the fire happened the amount of people who came together and brought clothes round and everything was amazing.
"We left the house with nothing. Our clothes were smoke damaged, so we didn’t have anything at all.
“But one positive is that we are able to have the Creepy Allotment back this year. We have the display in the front garden and the allotment is out the back and we turn it into a scare maze.
"I stand on the gate and get any donation – any money they want to put in the pot is amazing.
“Sometimes someone will put in £10, sometimes it’s 10p, but whatever I get in that pot I’m happy with.
“We have live actors – it’s family dressed up scaring people but I make them do it.
"I think this time of year people start blocking me because they know I’m going to phone them up and say ‘right you’re dressing as a clown.’
“We have animatronics and inflatables too. It’s become an obsession really.
"For Christmas and birthdays, I’ll have family buy me an inflatable pumpkin or skeleton. It’s become a running joke.”
Claire added: “If I can get the name out there for SANDS it would be a great thing. Before we lost Annabelle I hadn’t even heard of SANDS, but they were amazing at the hospital.”
The Creepy Allotment is open from 5.30pm on Thursday, October 31.
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