Henley Returns to Happy Haunting!
Ghouls, vampires, witches, bats, zombies could all be seen last night around Henley with children dressing up for Halloween with no restrictions for trick or treating this year. Two locals schools held Halloween events on the last day before half term to the delight of the children.
Badgemore school hosted a Halloween event outside in their grounds with lots of activities and a pumpkin competition. Tim Hoskins, Headteacher at Badgemore School said, “After such a long time when events all have had to be remote, it was great to get the whole Badgemore community back together again. Our PTA did an incredible job organising an outdoor Halloween event with an lots of activities and an outdoor disco. It was great to see all the ages mixing and laughing together as they used the science resources to create crazy potions. It was also lovely to see so many former pupils returning to help out and join in the activities. We’re now looking forward to the Christmas Fayre taking place on Saturday 20 November.”
Carolina from Friends of Badgemore School said, “It was such a pleasure to help organise a Halloween event for the families of Badgemore, especially as this was the first time since Covid became part of our lives that the whole school has been able to celebrate together in the same space and include families as well. It was really important to us to make use of and integrate the fantastic grounds and natural landscape that the school is set in and we are so lucky to be able to enjoy. Seeing the children so fully engaged int he carious activities including potion making and storytelling and seeing parents mingling was such a tonic for the last 20 months. Thank you to the local businesses who supported us, including Darka’s Bakery who supplied the homemade soup and fresh bread and The Bosley Patch who kindly donated 120 organic apples for the dry apple bobbing!”
At Valley Road School the children were invited to once again design pumpkins for the annual display (see photos below). Headteacher, Tim Coulson said, “The annual Valley Road Halloween Party has always been a high point of the school calendar since it was first created by Teaching Assistant, Karen Allen, over fifteen years agon. The event has been run by the PTA for the last five years and has continued to be a great success. It has been such a shame we were unable to run the event as planned this year due to COVID restrictions, but the pumpkin competition went ahead as usual. I am always amazed by the creativity and the sense of fun the children display in their ideas. The pumpkins were on display for all to enjoy on the last day of half term. At the same time as this, all the children attended school in their Halloween costumes to make up for the absence of the party. It was a great day, and we very much hope next year things will be back to normal. I hope you all enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed marvelling at their creations.”
Over the weekend Relais Henley hotel decorated the hotels with pumpkins and were giving out complimentary hot drinks and delicious iced Halloween biscuits and cakes from outside of the front of the hotel.
