Approaching the Fife village of New Gilston at Halloween isn’t for the faint-hearted.
The first indication that malevolent forces have been at work in this sleepy village is the road sign at the village limits:
“Welcome to New Ghoulston” it proclaims, Ghoulston in green lettering and a witch hovering above the words for good measure.
Something strange in the New Gilston neighbourhood
Things turn even spookier as I continue down the main street. Ghosts dangle from lampposts and dance in the October wind.
Everyone has embraced the Halloween theme: Spider webs festoon gardens, the skeleton of an unfortunate criminal hangs, abandoned, in a cage and there are pumpkins and zombies galore.
The decorations are all part of the build up to the New Goulston Spooky Walk event, which takes place behind the village hall tomorrow evening.
At the village hall, I met up with the three women behind the transformation of New Gilston to New Ghoulston for Halloween.
Leanne Law, Kim Couper and Dianne Penrice first decked the village out in Halloween decorations in 2020. They all volunteer as members of the New Gilston and Woodside Village Hall events committee.
Kim and Leanne had the idea for an event back in 2020 when they were chatting about the fact that the official advice was for no guising that Halloween.
They decided to put up some spooky decorations around the village and organised a scary walk that children could do while social distancing.
Community came together for Fife Halloween event
“I think we were quite surprised by the response that year,” says Leanne.
“We just wanted to do something for the kids in the village but that night we went out and there were so many cars and people walking about.
“It just had a really nice, community feel.”
Kim agrees the response from local families and people just passing through makes all the hard work worthwhile.
“We don’t sleep much in October,” she jokes, “or we wake up feeling shell-shocked.
“I think we are all trying to juggle different things in our heads because we are just volunteers and we are busy mums and have our jobs.”
Kim has a 13 year-old daughter, Leanne is a mum of three and Dianne has two grown-up children but is now keen to get involved to share the Halloween fun with her grandchildren.
Community spirit endures in New Gilston
Looking back to the first New Ghoulston event during lockdown, the volunteers agree that the Covid restrictions set the tone for subsequent Halloween celebrations.
“The resources we had were limited because of lockdown ,” explains Kim. “A lot of the stuff was recycled because at that time you couldn’t go to the shop.
“So it was very much, ‘does anyone have this in their garage?’ or anybody got a spare pallet’?
“And that did bring the community spirit in,” she says.
That theme of reusing and recycling has endured. With sculptures and creations being brought out each year – perhaps in a fresh spot or a different pose.
New Ghoulston very much looks to combine the traditional Halloween celebrations that Scottish and Irish families have known for generations with the fun of jump scares and more American-style decorations.
Kim jokes she draws the line at carving a turnip these days, while Leanne is keen to keep that tradition alive.
Old fashioned Halloween fun in Fife
All of the women are determined that New Goulston won’t succumb to purchasing lots of disposable plastic Halloween tat.
They have brought the event to life by pulling together their own creativity and recruiting help from the wider community. Leanne is a fabric artist, Kim a hairdresser and Dianne an upholsterer.
“Some people just see a pile of junk whereas we think – we could make a spider with that!” Kim points out.
Talented New Gilston community
The team have also been able to call on the skills of local resident, character designer and sculptor Colin Shulver. Visitors love his model of the Demigorgon from Stranger Things.
The base for that beast is also essentially made from junk.
Kim and the team have learned a lot about new processes and techniques for creating creatures from Colin.
Colin and his wife Emma Brown – a seamstress – designed and made the giant spider that is descending from a tree outside the village hall this year. Definitely one for the arachnophobes to avoid!
On the night of the spooky walk, everyone in New Gilston gets into the spirit of the occasion, coming along in their best Halloween costumes.
The town hall will be open for the sale of hot drinks, soup and home baking. There will also be themed marquees outside to keep visitors entertained as they wait for their turn to brave the spooky woods.
The walk itself is manned by around 15 volunteers who relish the opportunity to get dressed up. They get into character to scare the living daylights out of anyone brave enough to venture along the trail.
Visitors of all ages are welcome to attend the spooky walk, which does involve jump scares. Parents and carers know their children and should use their own judgement for little ones.
Sometimes, it’s the parents who don’t fancy the scary walk but there is plenty going on to keep everyone entertained on the evening.
Halloween ready
New Goulston is Halloween ready thanks to a huge community effort led by Leanne, Kim and Dianne and their families.
The Spooky Walk starts behind the village hall from 7pm on October 26.
Entrance is by donation and drinks and refreshments will be for sale with payment by cash only.
There’s one person you won’t meet in the woods on Saturday night though, and that’s Kim Couper.
“I’m the person that’s there to greet you for the walk, but I’m not a spooky person,” she admits. “I wouldn’t watch a horror film and I never walk in the spooky woods!
“People think I’m joking when I tell them I don’t know what’s in there, but I really don’t!”
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