On Halloween, we opened the doors of Lochwinnoch Parish Church for our spooktacular celebration. Fright Night at the Church: The Haunting of Blackthorn Manor was a huge success! The positive response has been truly remarkable!
Fully boo-ked!
All 120 tickets were snapped up within just two hours of release, and a waiting list quickly grew as demand far exceeded expectations.
On the seven sold-out spooky trails, families followed our Caretaker & Historian through secret passages, ghosts, curses and surprises at ‘Blackthorn Manor’. Our afternoon Mini Monsters trails were happy-not-scary for young and sensory kids with parents/carers, while our evening Mighty Monsters trails were fiendishly frightening for older brave kids.
Community Spirit
It was the culmination of weeks of preparation, with volunteers dedicating countless hours to transform the former church into a haunted wonderland. Local children and adults took part in our prop-making workshops throughout September and October, creating zombies, spider costumes, bat bodies, and paper garland skeletons.
Iona Quickfall, who helped coordinate the creative activities, said:
“We had 25 adults and 24 children at our prop-making session – the turnout was incredible. The parents I spoke to were delighted that the children had somewhere to play and create. This is exactly what we hoped the church could become – a space for the whole community.”
A dress rehearsal was held the evening before, attended by local dignitaries including Councillor Chris Gilmore. What’s more, feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with volunteers reporting “super complimentary” comments from visitors.
More Than Halloween
While the Halloween event was a triumph, it represents something far more significant in Lochwinnoch. As you know, LCDT purchased the former Parish Church in May 2025 after a successful community buyout, and we’re reimagining it as a vibrant multi-purpose community hub.
Bill White, LCDT Treasurer, explained:
“The level of interest – and the energy shown by everyone involved – has been fantastic. This demonstrates exactly what we’ve been saying all along: this building has enormous potential as a community resource. Now we need to capitalise on that goodwill.”
The church closed for worship several years ago, but it already hosted a successful fundraising concert in August featuring local musicians, and community consultations are ongoing to shape its future.
Duncan Bremner, a member of the Parish Church steering group, added:
“What we’ve seen here is the community embracing this building. People want to be here. They want to see it thrive. That’s what will make this project a success.”
A huge thank you to our incredible team of volunteers, the Boo Crew and every brave soul who dared to come inside. A big thanks to everyone who donated to our fundraising campaign. Currently, there is only one working toilet in the Church. We need to upgrade the facilities to continue hosting more events. And finally, this work to bring the Parish Church back into community use is made possible thanks to support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Scottish Land Fund.
What’s next?
Our volunteer debrief is next week, and we’re already planning what’s next, including a possible Christmas concert. The steering group meets regularly and welcomes new volunteers.
LCDT purchased the former Parish Church in May 2025 with support from the Scottish Land Fund. The building is currently undergoing development phase planning with LDN Architects.
For more information, visit our Parish Church project page: Lochwinnoch Parish Church Project
Interested in joining the Parish Church steering group? Contact us: info@lochwinnochtrust.org.uk
Support our fundraising campaign on Give a Little: Help Fix Our Loos & Banish Janglin’ John!
Every penny you donate goes towards fixing the toilets so we can hold more events like this in the future.
