Smithills very own haunted house thrills on Halloween

To celebrate the ancient festival a mother and son decorated their home in spooktacular style to bring some frightful joy to the community while raising money to support Destitute Animal Shelter in Bolton.

Debby Mercer and her son Austin have always gone to town on Halloween for years and this week was no different with their display at their house on Ivy Road in Smithills.

This year the theme was straight out of the  80s with Freddy Krueger making an appearance.

Trick or treaters retrieved their sweets as well as skeletons, spiders’ webs and candles.

The two also teamed up with the Northern Ivy Café across the road to raise money for the Destitute Animal Shelter in Bolton as they’re struggling.

Read more: Traditional Halloween hack through Moss Bank Park

Debby said: “We’ve done this since Austin was a baby and we used to live on New Hall Lane which was a very old Victorian house which was amazing.

“I did a Halloween party to get the kids acquainted with the others from the primary school when they started, and it grew and grew.

“So, Austin has always grown up with it and he’s now taken it over and I just make the food.

“We thought we’d try and raise some money this year for the Destitute Animal Shelter in Bolton as they’re struggling at the moment.

“Last year we literally had a queue down Ivy Road.”

Austin said how he used to work at Blackpool Pleasure Beach and picked up many skills that he uses to create his Halloween displays.

Read more: Market Place Shopping Centre to host range of Halloween events

He said: “I used to work at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in the horror houses and I ended up having my own business too on the promenade so when I moved back to Bolton, I thought I’ll bring a bit of what I did back.

“I was an actor, prop designer and light technician and everything I’ve created here are just skills I picked up whilst I was there.

“At the pleasure beach, the passage of terror, I was the one chasing people round with a chainsaw.

“But I’ve always thought that you never really see much around Bolton when it comes to Halloween, so I thought I’ll do it and make a big fiasco.”

Austin sometimes starts making all the decorations as early as August, turning the garden shed into a workshop.

Read more: What is Halloween? How it began and why its celebrated

Debby added: “Austin makes everything. From August onwards I have to put up with all this.

“Northern Ivy weren’t here this time last year and we said to them to stay open as we hoped a lot of people would go in for a drink or snacks and they’re busy now.

“So, this helps the café, Austin does this for free just because he enjoys it, and we also want to help the animal shelter.

“I went down the other day and they’re struggling. They haven’t got any room, there’s one cage left in the whole place, and they can’t take anymore animals in now.

“So, we’re just trying, we don’t know how successful it will be but we’re trying.”

Anyone who would like to support Destitute Animal Shelter can donate to them directly.