A frightfully Spoo-Quay time in Hartlepool

There were lots of tricks and a few treats too as families joined in the fun of a Spoo-Quay Halloween.

It wasn’t for the faint-hearted as the mists rolled across the cobbles of The National Museum of the Royal Navy in Hartlepool, shrouding HMS Trincomalee in a ghostly haze.

The museum’s historic quayside was transformed into the stuff of nightmares witches, ghosts and strange creatures walked the floors.

There were creepy crawlies to hold, Mr Twister the magician, craft workshops and spine-chilling storytelling on board the oldest warship afloat in Europe.

Families had donned their most haunting outfits and there were lots of competitions and prizes to be won, including the best carved pumpkin.

General Manager of the museum, Roslyn Adamson, said: “We love hosting Spoo-Quay, every year it is well-attended by hundreds of families, and there is so much to experience.”

During the evenings there was lots to keep people entertained including music from The Ghostbusters.

And, the frightful happenings didn’t stop there. Crowds got to watch dance group Casting Call perform a piece put together especially for Spoo-Quay, entitled “If you go down to the woods tonight”.

Andrew Pollard, who was there with his partner, Lynsey, and kids, Autumn, seven, Evie, seven and five-year-old William, said: “This was the first year we had been and it was brilliant.”