A HALLOWEEN nightmare turned into a fairytale after a family in Falmouth, who saw their hard work destroyed by the recent onslaught of storms, soon managed to bring their spooky garden creation back to life.
Jo and Nick Phelps are well known around Falmouth as the Boslowick Halloween fundraiser, creating elaborate displays in their garden each year which both delight and frighten passers by — all while raising funds for animal rescue charity The Last Chance Hotel.
However, this year nearly ended in disaster as the UK was rocked by storm after storm, which proved no match for the delicate designs that had only days before been installed outside their property in time for spooky season.
Jo explained: “My husband Nick and I are the people behind Boslowick Halloween Fundraiser here in Falmouth, and this is our fifth year transforming our garden into a Halloween experience for our local community, all to raise money for the wonderful Cornish animal rescue charity The Last Chance Hotel.”
The whole display is completely self-funded, and the majority of the elements are homemade — including all the animatronics and the ginormous spider, ‘FANG’, who stands over three metres tall, with legs that are approximately five metres in length.
Over the last four years, the couple have raised more than £5,000 in donations, and they were hoping to add a little more to that total this Halloween.
Jo said: “Unfortunately, Mother Nature hasn't been particularly kind to us this year!”
With months of preparation almost complete, storm after storm battered the garden, and their display suffered some pretty devastating damage. However, the couple remained positive and turned things around.
Jo said: “It's been heartbreaking at times, watching so much hard work being undone by the weather, but we've picked ourselves up, made changes, rebuilt what we could and carried on!
“Because, at the end of the day, there's a much bigger reason behind everything we do.”
For them, there was no choice but to redo the display, as they couldn’t stand to feel they were letting their local fans down.
They said: “We absolutely love seeing the excitement on the children's faces when FANG makes her annual appearance at the beginning of October. It's become something of a tradition for us now.”
It was also important to the couple that they persevere due to the charitable nature of their displays. They said the small charity they support has battled through adversity, and it was this strength that kept them going when the weather turned bad.
“This year we're particularly passionate about raising awareness of The Last Chance Hotel's Lifers,” they said. “These are animals, often elderly or with additional medical needs, who are cared for in lifelong foster homes, with the charity continuing to cover their veterinary costs.
“We know how difficult things are financially for everyone at the moment, and our smaller local charities are feeling those pressures too.
“If The Last Chance Hotel can keep going through all the challenges they face, then we can certainly find a way to keep our Halloween display going!”
They added: “But we're still here, still smiling and still determined to raise as much as we possibly can for the animals who need our help.”
The display is free to visit, with donations entirely voluntary — but be quick as it closes on Sunday, November 1.
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