Pumpkin Carving

Pumpkin Carving is coming to Hartsholme Country Park on Wednesday 28 October, as part of the City of Lincoln Council's Halloween programme for the October half-term. It's one of several sessions running across the city that week, so if Hartsholme doesn't fit your schedule, you've got options: there's a morning slot at Lincoln Arboretum on the same day, and another the following morning at Boultham Park.

At each session, kids work alongside Park Rangers to design and carve their own Jack-o-lantern. The organisers frame the tradition as a way to ward off evil spirits, and the whole thing is set up to give children a chance to be creative, spend some time outdoors and pick up a bit about local wildlife while they're at it. It's a hands-on sort of thing, with the rangers there to help them through the carving.

If you're heading to Hartsholme, there's more to do around the pumpkin carving. A Halloween trail runs through the park from 27 to 31 October, with activity sheets to collect from the Visitor Centre between noon and 3pm. There's also a bat box-making workshop held as part of Bat Week. Councillor Rebecca Longbottom, Portfolio Holder for Remarkable Place at the City of Lincoln Council, says the activities give children a chance to be creative and learn about local wildlife during the school half-term.

The pumpkin carving at Hartsholme Country Park runs from 13:00 to 14:30 on 28 October, and you'll meet the rangers at the Visitor Centre. If that doesn't work, the other sessions are 10:00 to 11:30 at Lincoln Arboretum on 28 October and 10:00 to 11:30 at Boultham Park on 29 October.