Scary stories and ghoulish gourds with Jersey Heritage and Ogier

Things are getting spooky at Hamptonne Country Life Museum this October half term, with two Halloween-themed events sponsored by Ogier – the Ghoulish Gourds Competition and Ghostly Tales.

Kate Kirk, Director of Marketing at Ogier, said: “Throughout 2022, we’ve partnered with Jersey Heritage to offer a series of family learning events and activities as part of our commitment to education and learning. These "spooky" events for Halloween provide the perfect opportunity to not only explore our creativity, by carving pumpkins, but also delve into Jersey's myths and legends with the help of local author Erin Michaels. The only question is: will any ghosts also join the Halloween fun?”

To kick off half term, young islanders are being asked to help make the museum look as ghoulish as possible. The Jersey Heritage "Ghoulish Gourds Competition" runs from Monday to Sunday, 24-30 October. The pumpkins will be used to decorate the Cider Barn ahead of a weekend of Halloween storytelling, and a Jersey Heritage goody bag will be given to the winning entry.

Pumpkin carving comes from Celtic festivals, where turnips were carved into fearsome faces to mark the end of summer, celebrate the harvest, and scare away evil sprits before the onset of winter. In a nod to the tradition's origins, competition entrants can choose to carve a pumpkin, squash, marrow or turnip. To enter, families need to carve their pumpkin (or pumpkin substitute) at home and bring their creation to Hamptonne reception with a battery-operated tealight.

Two days of "Ghostly Tales" storytelling will end the week. From 10am to 5pm on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 October, visitors will be able to meet Wanda the Good Witch and the Wise Woman of the Village, along with other storytellers, around the site for spinetingling tales from days of old. Local author Erin Michaels will also be reading stories from her books about Jersey's myths and legends from 1:30-4:30pm on both days.

Nicky Lucas, Jersey Heritage’s Community Events Curator, said: “Hamptonne is the perfect setting for telling hair-raising stories. There are lots of dark corners in old buildings and rumours of ghostly sightings. Jersey folklore is also rich with tales of ghosts, monsters and witches. We’ve lined up some suitably strange storytellers to share spinetingling tales over the weekend leading up to Halloween and it will be up to those who dare to listen to decide if any of the stories are true!”

Although spooky, the storytelling will be suitable for primary school age children and anyone who enjoys a good story. No booking is necessary but parking is limited and only available in the site's dedicated car park. Normal entry fees apply, with free entry for Jersey Heritage Members and children under six years old.

For more information, visit: www.jerseyheritage.org/explore/whats-on/family-events/