The Witches' Chamber at The Bridges

The Witches' Chamber is running at The Bridges in Sunderland from Monday 26 to Saturday 31 October, a half-term Halloween experience for families with children aged four and over. It's set up around two mischievous witches on the lookout for the next generation of apprentice spell-casters, and the whole thing is built on storytelling and magic rather than scares, so it's one of those things that works for the younger ones without being too much.

Inside, there's a giant bubbling cauldron, spell books and enchanted potions, and the kids are guided through a few different challenges. They get to make their own wand to take home, help uncover the missing words of a forgotten spell, and watch a bubbling potion demonstration, before everyone joins in to cast one final enchantment together. It's an interactive workshop, so the children are doing things rather than just watching, and the wand is something they actually keep afterwards.

There's a session for every kind of child, too. The workshops run every half hour from 11am to 3pm daily, and the 11am slot is a quiet SEN workshop limited to eight children, with reduced music and sound effects and a gentler approach for those who need it. If you're heading in for the day, there's also a free Halloween Trail running across the centre on the same dates, so you can make a proper outing of it.

All proceeds go to the Bradley Lowery Foundation. Tickets are £3 per child, and you'll need to pre-book online. You'll find the Witches' Chamber in Central Square, just outside New Look in the Bridges Shopping Centre, Sunderland SR1 3DR.