Hundreds of ghosts are popping up in Penhill thanks to the efforts of one Swindon mum who wants to make sure families don’t miss out on the fun of Halloween.

Amy Simpson has drawn, laminated and hidden, along with help from her family, 200 paper ghosts around the streets of Penhill.

The mum of two wants to keep the spirit of Halloween alive for other families in the neighbourhood despite the coronavirus pandemic.

She said: “We’re big fans of Halloween in our house and my two children are both upset about missing out on trick or treating, and with the restrictions we can’t have a Halloween party this year. So after the success of the rainbow hunt during lockdown we decided to do a ghost hunt.”

Amy, who works at Build-A-Bear Workshop has hidden the ghosts on lamp posts, bus stops and street signs with the help of her children, Chloe-May, 9, and Oscar,4, before half term starts at the end of this week.

“I’m encouraging people to take their kids out over half term," she said. “Go looking for the ghosts get some fresh air and post pictures on the Penhill Ghost Hunt Facebook group.”

Anyone can take part and there is no set route.

Amy, who has lived in Penhill for 25 years added: “I’ve tried to cover the whole of Penhill which is why I’ve done so many ghosts. So it doesn’t matter if you are down in the valley or if you are by the shops or by Seven Fields. There should be at least 10 or 15 ghosts around your streets you should be able to find.”

The mum is suggesting that parents complete the ghost hunt with their children and every time a ghost is found, give their children a sweet.

“That way the kids can still get that trick of treat experience but just not knocking on doors, to make sure it’s Covid safe,” said Amy.

She added: “I just wanted to do something for the kids as it’s been a hard year for them. My two children were off school for a long time and I they really missed interacting with friends and doing all the school work at home was difficult.

“The kids have missed out on a lot this year with the pandemic. Lots of people I know had holidays cancelled. Personally for myself and my friends, Halloween is a very important time. We do lots of stuff together and that’s all sort of been stopped,” said Amy.

There are plans to create trail at Christmas time if this one is successful.

Amy added: “If the community do get involved in this I want to see if we could do a Christmas themes trail. Penhill used to have so much going on like the carnivals and fun stuff when I was little, and there doesn’t seem to be as much around for our children now.”

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