Wigan man's Halloween house display honours late wife and raises funds for cancer charity

Dave Barron, 61, from Wigan in Greater Manchester, England, has once again turned his home into a Halloween display. This year's theme is the film Back to the Future, and he has been working on it since May, though the tradition dates back to 2011. The display is a tribute to his wife Catherine, who died in 2020 and was cared for by Macmillan, a charity supporting people with cancer.

Donations for charity

Visitors can make donations, and so far Barron has raised more than £55,000 for Macmillan. He says Halloween is an emotional time for him and that he misses his wife tremendously. In his words, Catherine would think he is an absolute lunatic, but she would be proud, as she was always a big part of the celebration.

Barron says the project costs him a fair amount, but he regards it as a small price if it helps people suffering from cancer. He is helped by his 27-year-old daughter Sarah, other relatives and friends. At each event he also hands out more than 500 sweets donated by his local Tesco supermarket.

Community support

Barron says many people have contributed, including a timber company, a tyre company, a friend who makes the banners, and others who lent instruments and donated costumes. He was especially touched when a stranger answered his Facebook appeal for a 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 car. Her husband owned one and brought it from Poynton to the Barron home for a day so measurements could be taken and an accurate replica built. Barron says such gestures show how far a community can stretch.