Pendleside Hospice Witch Festival

Samantha Giles, centre, and Pendleside staff and volunteers, get into the Witch Festival spirit 

Emmerdale star Samantha Giles who plays Bernice Blackstock in the ITV soap drama

Samantha Giles, centre, and Pendleside staff and volunteers, get into the Witch Festival spirit Witches’ tour guide Simon Entwistle with Pendle Hill standing proud in the background  Pendleside Hospice aims to break a world record on September 17 by organising the largest gathering of people dressed as witches – hopefully 2022 to coincide with the year.

Emmerdale star and children’s book author Samantha Giles is helping to spearhead the campaign along with Pendle Witches expert and tour guide Simon Entwistle. It is hoped the the event will raise around £100,000 towards maintaining the services Pendleside offers to people with life-limiting illnesses in the Burnley and Pendle area.

Emmerdale star Samantha Giles was so fascinated by the Pendle Witches story that it inspired her to write her first children’s book ‘Rosemary And The Pendle Witches’ – and now she is backing Pendleside Hospice’s bid to break a world record.

The Pendle Witches were a group of 10 people who were hanged in 1612 after being accused of murder and witchcraft.

Mother-of-two Samantha, 50, who plays Bernice Blackstock in the ITV soap, believes the Pendle Witches were wrongly accused.

She said: “They were people who used herbal and natural remedies but were accused of casting nasty spells on individuals. They were blamed for everything that went wrong in the area – from landowners’ crops failing to farm animals going lame and even people dying in unusual circumstances.”

The Pendleside Witch Festival takes place in Barrowford Park,

on Saturday, September 17, and incorporates a sponsored circular Witch Walk from the park to Barley and Roughlee. This will be followed by the attempt to break the Guinness World Record and entertainment.

It is hoped that people from across our communities will support the event. To attend costs adults £15, children £5 or a family ticket for four £35. To buy tickets and register please visit https://www.pendleside.org.uk/

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During the day-long festival there will be a live music stage with bands and a DJ and stalls selling witchrelated goodies, face painting and food and drink.

Samantha, a believer in Wicca culture since an early age, explained how she is hoping to work her own magic to help make it a success.

She said: “Pendleside Hospice is situated at the heart of the Pendle Witches’ country and when I heard about the Witch Festival campaign I wanted to get involved. I intend to be there on the day and be part of that record-breaking gathering.”

Samantha, who has been promoting the Witch Festival during visits to local junior schools, now spends a lot of her time writing – her third book is about to be published.

Following a tour of the hospice Samantha said:

The launch of the Pendleside Witch Festival at the Pendle Inn, Barley

“Pendleside offers so much beyond what you would expect. It’s not just about end-of-life care but also about respite and offering people with lifelimiting illnesses the support they need.”

Tour guide Simon Entwistle was born in the shadow of Pendle Hill, works with the Witch Festival and hosts regular tours said: “It has a hypnotic seductive feel. If Steven Spielberg had to make a film about the Pendle Witches it would be a blockbuster.”