Our Halloween gathering at Langtree this weekend wasn't quite the event we first planned. We had pictured an outdoor celebration in the autumn air, but with the weather against us we moved the whole thing indoors. Judging by the laughter that filled the room, nobody minded one bit.

The day was part of our Together in the Village series, and residents from all five of our homes joined us: Norley Hall, Lavender Hills, Langtree, Lakeside and Worthington Lake. Our teams arranged transport from every home, so friends old and new could come together under one roof. All our staff from the entire village chipped in and kept everyone fuelled with Halloween bakes, hot pot, chilli and plenty of coffee.

Tales from Wigan's Darker Side

Our special guest, Jack O'Lantern, took to the stage at Langtree and had the room hanging on every spooky word. He shared a little about his own background, then led us through spooky stories from right here in our local area. We heard about Haigh Hall, Lady Mabel, the secrets of Wigan and the haunted asylums nearby.

Many of these tales are classic folklore that our residents grew up with. Faces lit up as people remembered sharing the same stories in their youth, with all the fascination and shivers that came with them. Jack balanced the spookiness with plenty of humour, and good Halloween spirit.

The Great Scarecrow Competition

The event also doubled as a scarecrow festival. Residents from each home designed and crafted their own giant scarecrow, then brought it along to take pride of place on display. At the end of the afternoon, every guest voted for their favourite.

Worthington Lake's Cruella De Vil took the crown, but we think everyone in the room agreed it was a fantastic competition. Our residents loved the crafting, loved seeing their creations on show, and enjoyed a little friendly rivalry. Nothing gets people talking and laughing like a craft competition.

Thank You

A huge thank you to our activities coordinators on the day, to the staff who arranged transport from each home, to everyone who catered for the event, and to Jack O'Lantern himself for a brilliant performance.

Why Events Like This Matter

Together in the Village is about bringing people together and opening our doors to the community. Although this wasn't the outdoor event we originally planned, we welcomed anyone who wanted to join us at the care village for some Halloween fun.