A posse of happy little spooks and ghouls led by Transylvanian Count, Dr Caligari, took to the streets of Dewsbury on Saturday on a Halloween trail to scare treats and goodies from town centre retailers!
This annual event, organised by Kirklees Markets and Batley & Dewsbury Towns’ Management, attracted a posse of around 50 children to take part in this fancy dress competition.
The purpose of the event is to attract children and their parents into the Market and town centre to sample the unique retail and business offers of the town. Children are offered treats by the businesses taking part whilst their parents are given information and vouchers to attract them back for return visits.
Dewsbury Market was transformed into a spooky world with a haunted house by the market gates, a face painter was also on hand to make the little monsters even more scary. Kirklees markets also provided an events kitchen where Chef Pam Mollan did some cookery demonstrations, and showed the audience how to make spooky foods such as pumpkin soup and meringue ghosts.
Dr Caligari, Laurie Gilbert (the Town Crier) Trish Makepeace (Dewsbury Market Traders Association), the Dark Angel and the Pink Witch then met the ghoulish bunch, and led the children on a trail all around the Market and then onto the town centre, stopping at stalls and shops, many of whom had specially dressed their premises and staff for the event.
Market traders who kindly took part were: Joan Heffernan – Mezrab Design, Vanners, Russ Birch – Cosmetics, Steve Lodge – Socks, Lana’s – Cappuccino Stall, Nigel Turners – Fruit and Veg, Jacket Potato Stall, Sharon’s Sweets, Janine Roberts – Cooked Meats, Jonathan Finan Fashions, Vals Dawsons Books, Toffee Smith, Ellen Lodge – Hats and Socks and Ken’s Fruit & Veg.
And the town centre businesses who took part were: Kirkwood Hospice, The Cutting Room, Mark Betts, Bennettos Coffee House, Blossom & Berries, Subway, Cardworld, Cappuccino Man, Priceless Shoes, Dewsbury Diner, MacDonalds, Boots, Poundland, New Look, Cloggs Coffee Shop, Wilkinsons and the half term fairground also gave away some free tickets for their rides.
The trail ended back at the market where they were met by the mayor Cllr Eric Firth, who judged the fancy dress competition with the help of Trish Makepeace from the Dewsbury Markets Association Cllr Firth said: “It is fantastic to see so many children on the market, it also gives the parents and guardians a great oppourtunity to visit the stalls and shops that they may not have been into for a while. This event attracts more and more people each year shows just how popular this event is becoming with the local community.”
“The colourful sight of the children being led through Dewsbury town centre by Dr Caligari brought smiles to the faces of all of the shoppers whom we passed along the way and certainly brightened up an October morning! “
Cllr Paul Kane, Chair of the Dewsbury Regeneration Board, said: “The Halloween trail event is becoming an important event in Dewsbury’s calendar and it provides extra colour to the town centre in the autumn and helps to bring in more shoppers and visitors to the town. By supporting this event we are once again making the town into a child friendly place which meets the goal we have set ourselves”
“Thanks to all the traders who took part in the event for their great generosity towards the children and their parents and to also thank the families who took part as great ingenuity was shown in all of the colourful costumes which the children were wearing as these must have taken quite some time to put together!”
The winning shop window display was that of Kirkwood Hospice on Corporation Street who were presented with a certificate by the Mayor of Kirklees.
In the picture are:
Dr Calligari, Trish Makepeace, the Chair of Dewsbury Market Traders Association, Cllr Eric Firth the Mayor of Kirklees , Hilary Frayne Kirklees Markets, Viv Edmonds Assistant Town Centre Manager and our two best dressed little haunters Katie Brearley aged 5 from Dewsbury and Zaynab Ijaz aged 8 from Dewsbury!
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