Home Transformed into ‘Halloween Manor’ for Hospice Fundraising

A couple has converted their residence into a themed “Halloween Manor” as a fundraising effort for the hospice that previously provided care for one of their relatives. Tom and Amy Taylor have redecorated their property, situated on Brook Street in Wall Heath, near Kingswinford, transforming it into a themed attraction that features a pirate ship and a graveyard. Mr. Taylor’s intention is for visitors to contribute to Mary Stevens Hospice in Stourbridge, which provided care for his father in the months preceding his death from cancer in May 2023. “He loved a big event, he loved taking things too far, and that’s where my love of doing a big event has come from,” Mr Taylor stated. The Halloween display, which incorporates animatronic skeletons, ghouls, and scarecrows, is scheduled to be accessible from 17:00 until 20:30 GMT on October 29-31. Furthermore, a reduced-intensity session is planned for 14:00-16:00 GMT on October 31, during which the animatronic models will be switched off for children who might perceive them as too intense. Mr. Taylor, who operates a business with his wife that provides and installs blinds, reported that their initial event last year drew between 800 and 1,000 visitors. He also remarked that his father “would have loved it,” as he consistently enjoyed making extensive efforts when decorating his residence for Christmas. “It was always a lot bigger than everyone else’s, it was always a competition in his head,” Mr Taylor explained. Ruth Longville, the corporate fundraiser for Mary Stevens Hospice, stated that local fundraising initiatives, including the Halloween Manor, hold “massively” significant importance for the hospice. “We need members of our community to come up with wacky ideas – and this is surely one of the wackiest I’ve ever seen – to help us fundraise on behalf of our patients and their families,” she commented. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram for further updates. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of external sites. Details regarding our approach to external linking are available for review.