Edinburgh family get spooky to help raise cash for charity this Halloween

Families are being invited to ‘Ghoul the Extra Yard’ to celebrate Halloween safely and raise funds for Edinburgh’s disabled play centre The Yard.

The Fowler family will walk one mile from their Willowbrae home to raise money for the children's favourite charity The Yard.

The charity which provides play services for youngsters with additional needs has organised a virtual 1k, 5k or 10k fancy-dress run or walk over Halloween weekend.

On Saturday, October 31, 2020, friends of the charity will don their spookiest costume and take a trip around their local area to raise cash for the Canonmills based charity.

The Fowler family has been drumming up support for the sponsored walk by posing in their Halloween costumes ahead of the event.

Four-year-old Ada Fowler dressed up as Minnie Mouse while big brother Rohan Fowler, six, donned a Pak-Man costume.

Four-year-old Ada Fowler dressed up as Minnie Mouse and big brother Rohan Fowler, six, donned a Pak-Man costume.

In place of usual guising which has been cancelled due to the health pandemic, the brother and sister will walk one mile with their parents Gizem and Jamie Fowler on Saturday evening to mark the spooky day.

Starting from their home in Willowbrae the family-of-four hope that their friends will join them from a safe distance to help them celebrate as they cross the finish line.

While this Halloween is a departure from tradition for the Edinburgh family the mother of two said her children are looking forward to supporting The Yard which is their favourite place to play in the city.

She added that while trick-or-treating is off the cards the pair will still enjoy some well-earned sweeties at the end of their walk.

Mrs Fowler said: “It’s obviously sad that guising will not be happening this year but they both love dressing up and are happy to be helping The Yard which is their favourite place to play on a Sunday. I think this year will be a lot better for their teeth but I think there will still be some sweeties involved.”

Community and Volunteering Manager Christy Thomson has encouraged entrants to upload a selfie in their frightening frocks, masks or ghoulish make-up within 48-hours of completing their challenge.

A prize will be awarded to the child with the best spooky finishing-line photo.

Ms Thomson said, “Halloween celebrations will be a little bit different this year so we thought we’d challenge families, workplaces and teams to dress up and take to the streets, their local park or wherever they choose, and raise some money in the process. You can decide your own distance and, if you’re feeling competitive, why not get your friends, family or work colleagues to join in the fun?”

The fancy dress event hopes to raise vital funds for the charity which has had many of its annual fundraising events such as the Kilt Walk and the Edinburgh Marathon cancelled due to lockdown restrictions in the Capital.

Director of Development Jenny MacDonald, said: “Although we can’t do some of our usual Halloween activities this year, our members and supporters are coming together virtually with a fun activity for all families this weekend. It’s a great way for our community to support The Yard at a time when our services and fundraising efforts continue to be impacted by the effects Covid-19. In taking part, you truly are helping to make sure we are there for disabled children and their families far into the future.”

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