New interactive map looks to bring back some Halloween magic

Saturday 26 October 2024

Trick or treating will be simpler this year thanks to an interactive map which shows which houses are welcoming people this Halloween.

330 houses or business have added themselves so far to the map created by Michelle Pearce-Burke.

Pictured: Michelle Pearce-Burke says her daughters regularly check the map to see how many more pumpkins have been added.

With Halloween a little way off, and the magic of the previous years having waned a little, Mrs Pearce-Burke wanted to bring back that special feeling as her children simply adore the annual celebrations. 

“I set it up a couple of weeks ago because I’ve got three young girls who are becoming increasingly interested in Halloween and trick or treating. I was just thinking, it’s quite difficult around where I live, to know exactly who’s open for Halloween.

“I thought, why isn’t technology making this easier? So this was really about making it simpler for people and kind of banish that awkward door knocking.”

She has had an incredible reaction, within a few days her Facebook page publicising the website and digital map had garnered a couple hundred followers. A little over a week later it had doubled.

“It felt like a good idea to me at the time, which is why I made it, but I wasn't sure whether we would just be for myself and maybe some friends and families who'd lived nearby to just have a small group of us, but the more I shared that, the more it seemed to catch on, so I thought, well, why not open it to everyone.

“I then launched a map in Jersey too, which has started to take off recently as well. In Guernsey, we've got over 300 homes and businesses now signed up, and about 100 in Jersey and it's growing by the day, and by the hour quite often, so and I feel that as we get closer to Halloween, that will pick up as well. It's great to see so much traction.” 

As of writing the Facebook page is well on its way to 500 followers. It’s seen the backing of businesses, and embrace of third sector organisations, and now has spread to locations in Cardiff.

Pictured: Welsh streets are beginning to sprout with pumpkins online.

“I think it's brilliant, in Guernsey in particular, how many businesses we’re seeing opening their doors, that’s largely thanks to the Smile for Georgie Foundation who have helped organise and get that snowballing.”

The Mum of three is covering the costs of the map, site and domain herself. Modestly she says it’s not a lot.

“It was very lightweight to build and maintain. I've built it all myself. It wasn't particularly difficult and I’m not actually a coder, I just used the products that are already out there and it's very low cost.

“The map is free to use so I'm just covering the very basic cost myself at the moment. There’s no particular intention to monetise it anytime soon. We just thought we'd kind of see how it goes and build something nice and give back to the community.” 

You can learn more about the special map from their facebook page, or by visiting their website.