THIS weekend’s Ilkley Scare Trails are set to be the biggest yet thanks to some great support from local businesses. The Spooky Shop Trail starts it all off on Saturday with a scavenger hunt around the town, followed at noon with the Pumpkin Trail, sponsored by Olicana Stationers, in Middleton Woods off Curly Hill. Entry to the Trail is free with lots of traditional games and activities to do, including for the first time this year axe throwing!

The scares ramp up at 6.30pm on Saturday night when The Frightmare Trail, sponsored by The Yard in Ilkley, gets underway. This is a truly scary walk around the deep dark woods with live actors, special sound and lighting effects and a few little surprises along the way. Tickets for the Frightmare Trail are available from The Yard and the Co-op’s in Ilkley and Addingham.

Marketing manager for the Yard, Sophie Cummings said: “We’re delighted to team up with The Ilkley Scare Trails this year, they have raised so much for local charities and good causes over the last few years and we’re really proud to sponsor The Frightmare Trail!"

Alongside sponsoring the trail, The Yard are also offering anyone with a ticket or wristband to the Frightmare Trail 20 per cent off the cost of food over the weekend. They are also donating some of the sales from their ‘Frightmare Trail Cocktail’ created by The Yard’s cocktail guru Nathan, which is also available this weekend.

Paul Jennings from the Scare Trail told the Gazette: “The support from local businesses like The Yard and all the others who are helping us this year is fantastic! As the Trails get bigger it’s more expensive to put on, so without their support it would be really hard! We’d also like to say a huge thanks to Bradford Council who have really helped us out this year, and particularly with all the rain over the past few weeks some of the trail was like marshland!”

Trail sheets for The Spooky Shop Trail are available from Just Books on Brook Street and runs from Saturday and throughout the half term holiday, the Pumpkin Trail is noon to 4pm Saturday and 10am to 2pm on Sunday. For more details go to www.ilkleyscaretrail.co.uk