David Donovan and his family have been decorating his home at 6 Hillside every Halloween for the past five years, but what started as a bit of fun has now become a major neighbourhood event.
This year’s theme is pirates, and the centrepiece is a skeleton ship, built using scaffolding, pallets and scrap materials he’s collected through his work as a roofer and builder.
Dave told the News Shopper: “We did it last year and raised nearly £1,500.
“Hopefully we can raise a lot more this year.
“It’s just grown and grown as the years have gone on.
“I make everything from pallets, bits of insulation, old beds, anything I spot while I’m out and about that looks useful.”
The funds will support The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, which raises money to help The Royal Marsden, a world leading cancer centre, provide outstanding care and develop life saving treatments used across the UK and around the world.
The display will also feature two homemade game stalls for children – one is a Halloween-themed hook-a-duck, using an old bath filled with spooky rubber ducks which the kids can take home if they win.
The other is a beanbag toss to knock over tin cans in a typical fairground fashion.
Helping out on the night will be Dave’s eight-year-old twin daughters, Fleur and Evie, who will be enthusiastically running the stalls and handing out prizes.
The event will take place on Halloween night, with a possible second evening on the Saturday depending on the weather.
Visitors can simply turn up, and donations will be collected in person, cash or card. Dave has also set up a GoFundMe page.
He added: “Most people had cards last year and we weren’t ready for that.
“So this year we’ve come prepared.”
More than 600 people turned up last Halloween, catching some of the neighbours off guard.
Dave said: “The neighbours weren’t ready. They ran out of sweets in an hour.”
Despite the chaos, he said the display has become a much-loved local tradition.
“It’s great seeing everyone come together,” he added.
