A group of production arts students from Lincoln College will be creating an eerie atmosphere for the public at Doddington Hall this Hallowe’en.

Howell Thomas, Production Arts Co-ordinator at Lincoln College, along with 24 students on the Level 3 Extended Diploma Production Arts (Technical Theatre) course, are designing props and using lighting and sound to create Hallowe’en ‘Spooky Walks’ in the gardens at Doddington Hall

“The gardens at Doddington Hall along with the exterior of the Elizabethan house are a remarkable venue and a great canvas for us to use to create our chilling Hallowe’en event,” explained Howell.

“It is a fantastic opportunity for the students to showcase their talent and put what they are being taught on the course into practice outside of the college.”

Earlier this year Lincoln College entered into a Progression Agreement with the University of the Arts London (UAL), which means students enrolled on arts-related courses now have preferential accelerated access beyond the first stage of the application process when applying to one of the UAL colleges.

Howell explained: ““UAL is very selective and only partners up with institutions which are innovative, creative and committed to arts education.

“Students enrolled on the course have the opportunity to take part in a wide range of ‘real-life’ projects and are able to build up their skills by using professional standard, state-of-the-art equipment.

“Studying production arts opens up a vast range of exciting career paths for the students to follow, including production management, sound and light engineering, prosthetics and pyrotechnics.”

The students involved in the Hallowe’en project said they’re delighted to be involved.

Second year student Ashley Ball said: “The experience I’ve gained on the production arts course has been incredible. It’s awesome to be given the chance to get familiar with high- spec equipment that I will use when I get a job in the industry.

“Getting such experience will give me an edge over other candidates when applying for university and jobs in the future.”

During the evening walks on Thursday 30^th and Friday 31^st October and Saturday 1st November the students will be controlling the equipment and working as health and safety operators and stewards.

There will be six spooky zones within the grounds of the gardens for the public to walk through, including Scary Slime Street and the Petrifying Pumpkin Patch.

Howell added: “The students have worked extremely hard, and I’m hoping it will be the start of something Lincoln College can be a part of on an annual basis.”

Claire Birch, who owns and runs the Doddington estate alongside husband James is looking forward to the Spooky Walks: “We are really excited to see what Howell and his students will create particularly during a weekend when we are able to also offer our visitors pumpkin carving, a produce competition and a four-day craft fair. Our Bauble Barn and new Toy Box shop also open on the 30th.”

Tickets are limited but there is some availability. The ticket price is £8 for adults and £6 for children under the age of 16. To make a booking please call 01522 812510 or email info@doddingtonhall.com.

Ends

Notes to Editors

About Lincoln College:

• Lincoln College is the largest educational institution in the county with 10,000 students across three campuses in Lincoln, Gainsborough and Newark.
• It is the largest provider of business training and skills in Lincolnshire providing training for around 1,200 businesses in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.
• The college is rated Outstanding by Ofsted and has a wide range of full, part-time and short courses for students aged 16 and above, including university-level courses.

About The Lincoln College Group:

• Founded upon a concept of ‘synergy’, The Lincoln College Group comprises a number of like-minded organisations with a shared purpose of providing exceptional education, training and related services to their students.
• Currently providing secondary, further and higher education, the Group includes Lincoln College (with its campuses in Lincoln, Newark and Gainsborough and operations in China) and two secondary school academies: The Newark Academy and The Gainsborough Academy. It also encompasses Deans Sport and Leisure, a commercial sports centre based in Lincoln City Centre.
• Lincoln College International, a project to develop and run three Colleges in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the latest addition to the Group.
• The Lincoln College Group is also the lead sponsor of the Lincoln UTC which opened in September 2014.

For further information please contact:
Kate Strawson
Director, Shooting Star PR
kate@weareshootingstar.co.uk
01522 528540
@KateStrawson