ONE of south Essex’s spookiest homes is prepared and ready for Halloween as the owners aim to raise as much cash as possible for a children’s hospice.
Katie Smith has been orchestrating impressive transformations of her Harvest Road home, on Canvey, for more than ten years, going all out at Halloween and Christmas.
Her Halloween displays typically feature animatronics, lighting effects and plenty of oversized spiders.
However, this year’s effort is about more than creating a spooky spectacle, as Katie has teamed up with Little Havens children’s hospice to raise money for the charity’s vital work.
The hospice, in Thundersley, provides specialist care and support for babies, children and young people who are living with complex or incurable conditions.
“This is the first year that I’ve done it for charity,” said Katie.
“I thought that since I was doing all of this work, I might as well try to get some good out of it.”
According to Katie, her jaw-dropping displays regularly attract hundreds of visitors, and this year she’ll be directing them all to her JustGiving page.
“We’ve bought so many decorations over the years and now I want to make the most of them.
“I’ve started a JustGiving page and am hoping Canvey residents show their support” she said.
All of the money donated by visitors to Katie’s Halloween house will go directly to Little Havens Hospice. The charity provides palliative care to children facing terminal and life-limiting illnesses.
A self-described “Halloween and Christmas mega fan”, Katie was more than happy to adapt her standard festive extravaganza into a charitable effort. Her festive displays can take weeks to install and her latest is no different.
“I’ve been working on them for the last two weeks. They’ll stay up until November 1, if we can take them all down that quickly” she said.
She added: “It can take two to three days to get them all down sometimes”.
Katie attributes her love for Halloween decorations to the excitement she sees on the face of visiting trick or treaters.
“Seeing the little kiddies faces is what makes it so special. Me and my husband are big kids at heart and its always been a big thing for us,” she said.
Donations to Katie’s JustGiving campaign can be made at justgiving.com/page/katie-goulding-1729447064159
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel