Warwickshire County Council encourage the community to have a spectacular & spooky but most importantly, safe half term & Halloween! It’s that time of year when the leaves turn beautiful ...
It’s that time of year when the leaves turn beautiful shades of yellow and orange, the air is crisp and the evenings get darker - Autumn is well and truly here and the October half term is coming up!
Warwickshire County Council (WCC) would like to remind the community that despite COVID-19 restrictions being in place to control the virus, there are still lots of ways that residents can enjoy half term and Halloween safely with their family.
Warwickshire Museums has a full timetable of virtual activities all week including making a ghost-on-a-string, some ghoulish playdough and making your very own haunted house! Local Children and Family centre’s will also be sharing a half-term activity timetable on their Facebook pages.
To keep everyone safe, WCC is asking residents to find ways to celebrate Halloween that still allows for social distancing. Children are encouraged to decorate their houses with spooky decorations, display decorated pumpkins or download our Halloween colouring picture and display in their windows and dress up to take part in Pumpkin Trails around their neighbourhoods. If trick-or-treat buckets have been left outside a spookily-themed house, then go ahead and leave some sweets! Other ideas include organising a Halloween treasure hunt within your own household, hosting a virtual party with themed games or watching a scary movie together!
If you are out and about with your family over the half term and Halloween, remember to adhere to the current COVID-19 guidelines:
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Observe social distancing with people outside of your household
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Wash your hands regularly and use hand sanitiser
Dr Shade Agboola, Director of Public Health at Warwickshire County Council said:
“We know that half term and Halloween can be a really exciting time for children, especially when going out trick or treating, but with the rise of COVID-19 across the country and Warwickshire as a whole, the advice of Public Health Warwickshire is to consider the alternatives available to help to keep everyone safe. Remember that you can still only gather in groups of up to six, if you are having people over to your home from different households, keep your distance, use separate glassware, crockery and cutlery and wash your hands regularly.”
“It’s important to be aware that if you’re doing something that increases your contacts, then you are increasing your risk to COVID-19. If we all do the right thing for Warwickshire and play our part, then we can still enjoy the half term and celebrate Halloween with our loved ones, whilst keeping everyone safe.”
Warwickshire Trading Standards and Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Services are also asking parents to consider fire safety this half term and Halloween.
If your children are dressing up, make sure you keep them away from any candles or jack-o-lanterns or swap tea light candles for safer LED lights. Ensure their costumes have also been bought from a reputable supplier, check for a CE mark on the label and make sure their costume fits properly to avoid trips and falls.
Warwickshire County Councillor Andy Crump, Portfolio Holder for Fire and Community Safety said: “We want people to enjoy Halloween, but also want to make parents aware of the potential danger faced if their child’s costume catches fire - this risk is significantly increased at Halloween due to the increased use of candles.
“Adhering to our safety advice could mean the difference between a happy Halloween or one of real horror. So please don’t take the risk!”
For the latest guidance on Coronavirus visit http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/coronavirus
To find out more about Warwickshire Museums virtual activities visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/heritageboxoffice.
Find out more about virtual activities from your local Children and Family Centre - https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/childrenandfamilycentres
For more information on fire safety and celebrations visit https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/celebratesafely
For lots more information on keeping your kids entertained throughout half-term take a look at Warwickshire’s Family Information Service newsletter - https://us5.campaign-archive.com/?u=a24b439ef7022ae0d86f9ca6e&id=a1665b6649