Kian's pirate ship pumpkin best at Hallowe’en Spooktacular

The winning pumpkins - Sweety Face, Pirate Ship and Skeleton

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Six-year-old Kian Ridings from Castleton won the pumpkin carving competition at Heywood Fire Station's Hallowe’en Spooktacular event.

Kian, who really enjoyed himself at the event with his granny, Gillian Cheetham, and his dad, was judged the best by Peter Rush from amongst hundreds of the carved vegetables brought to the station.

Gillian said: “Kian is made up that his pirate ship pumpkin was chosen as the top winner by the mayor and he can’t wait to go to the cinema to use his vouchers he won as a prize.”

The pumpkins carved by Rebecca Wynne from Hopwood and Georgina Whitaker from Heywood were chosen as runners up.

Around 1,000 people, many of them children dressed in spooky costumes, headed to the fire station to join in the fiendish fun.

Queues formed outside the station from around 5.15pm when visitors were greeted by a cloaked skeleton on stilts and booming spooky music coming from the GMFRS event vehicle.

The engine house was decorated with cobwebs and other Hallowe’en accessories and as the anxious crowds entered, they were entertained by a magician, spooky story teller and the basement had been converted into a graveyard with an open top vampire coffin.

Station Manager Ian Tracey said: “The event attracted more people than we ever imagined and we are overwhelmed by the support received – most who stood waiting in the rain to come inside.

“We have received lots of positive feedback about the event, but sadly on the night we had to turn some people away due to capacity – so can only apologise. If we hold a Hallowe’en event next year we will be looking at doing it on a ticket basis.

“The event wouldn’t have been possible without the help of our firefighters, other staff members, and of course our volunteers – who really played the part and dressed up in scary outfits.”