Night of Halloween fun for Care UK service users

Company news

Nov 01, 2013

Ghosts, ghouls, witches and wizards swooped on a Castleford dance floor on Wednesday night for a spooktacular Halloween party at Xscape Yorkshire. The event – which Care UK organised with people with learning disabilities – saw around 250 people don scary costumes to mark the creepiest night of the year. Top party songs provided a soundtrack to the night and prizes were given out in a hotly contested costume competition.

‘Mix it Massive’ is a monthly event organised by Care UK’s residential learning disabilities services in Castleford, which support people to learn skills that help them to lead more independent lives. Friends, family and the local community were invited to the Halloween party at The Loft nightclub and people from another supported living service travelled from Doncaster to join in the fun.

First place in the costume competition went to Stephanie Bates, a resident at Care UK’s Whitwood Hall in Castleford, whose creative ensemble was judged to have the biggest scare-factor. She was joined by Dan Buttery in second place and Simon Bucksby in third place. The trio’s efforts – which included gruesome recreations from their favourite horror films – were rewarded with prize money and a limited edition ‘Mix it Massive’ t-shirt.

Fraser Watson, community inclusion manager at Care UK, said: “Our monthly ‘Mix it Massive’ club night is open to all and offers a fun environment where people can make new friends and socialise in a place they may not have thought of visiting. This was our fifth event at The Loft and we’re always delighted when new faces join us

“It was great to see so many people enjoying the party and I was very impressed with the effort everybody put into their costumes – congratulations to Stephanie for winning first prize and to Dan and Simon for coming second and third.

“Events such as this are an integral part of our person-centred approach to care, which involves carefully considering each individual’s aspirations, needs and strengths when creating a personalised programme of support. We’ve had some very positive feedback about ‘Mix it Massive’ and I want to thank everybody who makes these nights possible.”

‘Mix it Massive is held on the last Wednesday of every month and is open to everybody. For more information, contact Fraser Watson on 01977 668002.