Pendle Witch Walk

We were delighted with the culmination of all our efforts a couple of weekends ago, when we saw 1,300 people attended the Pendle Witch Walk. We believe that the Burnley and Pendle area has a rich heritage and enjoys some of the best countryside that the UK has to offer, so to have half of the attendees come from outside the area was something we’re really pleased about. Of those attending approximately 850 did the walk, we broke the world record for the biggest gathering of witches, with 482 people in the appropriate attire as outlined by Guinness (i.e. Black wide brimmed pointy hat, Black full length cloak, Broomstick) and most importantly, we have raised over £30,000 for Pendleside Hospice. We also generated positive media attention from all over the world – the US, India – even Armenia! Radio 4 and Radio 5 also did pieces about the event, as well as television coverage from BBC, Granada and CNN. We were delighted with the outcome because we’d sought from the outset to demonstrate that Pendle is a beautiful place to live with its wonderful countryside and fantastic heritage. On the morning of the event artist Philippe Handford produced the “1612” guerrilla installation in 500ft numerals on the side of Pendle Hill. We supported Philippe’s efforts and generated some positive press for the project – and one of our team was up on Pendle Hill at 5:30am helping to create what was one of the defining images of the day! The music event after the walk featured Shaun Russell (swing, big band), Lancashire Sinfonietta, Nelson Arion male voice choir, Leyland Brass and Vicky and the Big Combo (motown and soul). Brandspankin’ MD and Pendle Witch Walk organiser, Julian Jordan said: “The day was a massive success – we had great weather, we broke the world record and we raised a huge sum for Pendleside Hospice, so we’d like to put on record our gratitude for all the magnificent support we received.”