New Upton Grey Halloween festival proves to be a winner (From Basingstoke Gazette)

New Upton Grey Halloween festival proves to be a winner

11:00am Thursday 1st November 2012 in News By Emily Roberts, Chief Reporter

DOZENS of Guy Fawkeses were displayed in front gardens around Upton Grey as part of a new Hallowe’en and bonfire festival.

Villagers were encouraged to collect bagged straw from Newlyn’s Farm Shop to stuff their guys, in return for making a donation to St Michael’s Hospice.

Tips were offered to participants on a website set up for the contest, and entries were then displayed around the village in the lead up to the autumn festival held at the Hoddington Arms.

On Saturday, the festival day, contestants brought their Guy Fawkeses to the pub to be judged.

Villagers voted for their favourite, with the winner receiving a large cup engraved with their name.

During the day, the pub held games and activities, including conker contests, snail-racing, apple bobbing and pumpkin bowling.

Organised by Roger Clark, from Upton Grey, in conjunction with the Hoddington Arms, the event raised money for the hospice in Aldermaston Road.

Competitions included heaviest pumpkin, and there was also apple tasting.

In the evening, villagers took their guys from the pub to a bonfire in Hoddington Park, led by a procession of glowing pumpkins.

A firework display entertained the crowds, before everyone headed back to the pub for food and drinks, and entertainment from the Upton Grey Music Group.

Lyndsey Barnett, assistant manager at the pub, said: “It went amazingly. We sold mulled wine and soup and then we had a bonfire and fireworks which went really well.

“It was the first time we have done this and everyone in the village supported it. There were about 60 Guy Fawkeses. We made a chef-and-waitress Guy Fawkes which sat on a bench outside the pub. Everyone was in really good spirits and everyone really enjoyed themselves. It was something different”