Ghostly Goings on at Warcop!

Over 180 people of all ages joined Warcop’s annual Ghost Walk last week to celebrate Halloween on a dark and spooky night. The marshalled walk started at Warcop Parish Hall with an outline of the story, which this year was called “The Return of the Kiddy Catcher.”

Narrator Nigel Shackleford kept the huge crowd in order via the portable speaker and lots of adlibbing,  as they passed through a scary Warcop House, over to the mysterious maze and down to the road past the cemetery. All along the route were carefully placed ghouls and ghosts to scare the children and adults as they walked by. There were various Kiddy Catchers and other main characters along the route, all admirably played by Alan Burgess, David & Carol White and Kenneth Morrison.

A highlight of the walk is the Ghost Train, courtesy of the Eden Valley Railway volunteers, who all entered into the spirit of the story. A packed train set off towards Sandford but the journey was beset by technical problems such as lights failing and explosions on the track! Added to this, a number of scary Kiddy Catchers ran amok throughout the journey, giving out sweets along the journey.

At least two (willing) young people were taken away in strategically place quad bikes, one at the cemetery, the other outside the newly opened Chamley Arms. Thankfully they were all saved later on when the baddy brother “Bonkers” Von Blackett-Ord was shot by his slightly saner brother up at Warcop Hall! A lively firework display, courtesy of Max Voican, celebrated a safe end to the walk!

Eventually, everyone returned to the Parish Hall safely where they could get warm and enjoy hot dogs, soup and drinks. Prizes were given to the best fancy dress outfit amongst the children.

Thanks go to Hazel and Caroline for organising all the details and planning for the walk, all the volunteer actors and “ghosts,” the railway staff, as well as those who made soup, worked on the desk and in the kitchen. Altogether, the Ghost Walk raised £375 for the Hall and had the highest number of participants to date.