From terrifying jack-o'-lanterns and glowing Halloween faces to colourful pumpkin displays and an adorable four-legged surprise, Newcastle Great Park residents have shown off their creativity this Halloween. And with so many fantastic entries, Great Park Gazette has decided that everyone deserves a moment in the spotlight.
Halloween has arrived in Newcastle Great Park, and one thing is certain: our residents know how to get into the spooky spirit!
Earlier this month, Great Park Gazette launched its Great Park Pumpkin Carving Competition 2026, inviting residents to share photographs of their funniest, scariest and most imaginative Halloween pumpkins in the Great Park Residents Group on Facebook.
The idea was simple. Residents had until Friday 30 October to submit their creations, with a Halloween Day vote originally planned to select three favourites for a special feature on the Gazette website.
But then the photographs started coming in.
From beautifully carved faces to painted designs, glowing pumpkins and some rather unexpected Halloween creativity, the submissions were simply too good to leave anyone out.
So we've changed the plan. Instead of selecting just three entries to publish, we're showcasing every contribution we've received for this gallery!
No first, second or third place. No one missing out on a mention.
Just a celebration of the creativity, imagination and community spirit that make Halloween in Great Park so enjoyable.
Here are the brilliant contributions from our residents.
🎃 Claire Khan – Double trouble!
Double trouble! Claire Khan's two brilliantly expressive jack-o'-lanterns bring a mixture of mischief and menace to Halloween in Great Park. Photograph: Claire Khan
Claire Khan got into the Halloween spirit with not one, but two wonderfully expressive carved pumpkins.
Photographed outdoors in the autumn sunshine, the pair look ready to greet unsuspecting trick-or-treaters.
One features dramatic, sharply carved eyes and a wonderfully grumpy expression, while the other sports an angular face and a mischievous grin.
Placed together, they make quite the Halloween double act.
🐶 Jules Robinson – The cutest pumpkins in the patch!
Possibly the cutest pumpkins in Great Park! Jules Robinson shared this adorable photograph of her dogs dressed in a colourful Halloween pumpkin costume. Photograph: Jules Robinson
Not every Halloween pumpkin needs to be carved!
Jules Robinson gave us one of the most adorable contributions, featuring her gorgeous dogs dressed in an oversized orange pumpkin costume.
Complete with bright green leaves around the neck and a cheerful Halloween face on the costume, these four-legged pumpkins certainly deserves a place in our gallery.
It might not be a traditional jack-o'-lantern, but it made us smile.
And Halloween should be about having fun as well as being frightening!
🎨 Lisa Hogarth – A colourful pumpkin masterpiece
A colourful Halloween display by Lisa Hogarth, featuring painted pumpkins, decorative gourds and a googly-eyed creation. Photograph: Lisa Hogarth
Lisa Hogarth demonstrated that Halloween creativity doesn't have to involve carving a terrifying face.
Her impressive display features a wonderful collection of pumpkins and decorative gourds in different shapes, sizes and colours.
Taking centre stage is a striking dark-painted pumpkin covered in bright orange markings, surrounded by smaller pumpkins, pale varieties and a wonderfully quirky creation with googly eyes.
The result is a fantastic autumn display with plenty of personality.
It's a reminder that sometimes a paintbrush, a little imagination and a collection of unusual pumpkins can be just as effective as a carving knife.
👻 Natalie Bonnie Sheppard – From pumpkin guts to glowing ghouls!
Natalie Bonnie Sheppard treated us to a wonderful collection of photographs showing the messy, creative and sometimes hilarious side of Halloween pumpkin carving.
And there was certainly no shortage of personality in these designs.
When pumpkin carving gets messy!
Halloween gets messy! Natalie Bonnie Sheppard's wonderfully expressive pumpkin is pictured alongside a spectacular pile of pumpkin seeds and pulp. Photograph: Natalie Bonnie Sheppard
One of Natalie's photographs shows a freshly carved pumpkin with a wonderfully alarming expression and a large pile of pumpkin pulp and seeds spilling out across the table.
It's a hilarious reminder that pumpkin carving can be a very messy business!
A truly gruesome glowing face
A glowing Halloween pumpkin with a brilliantly gruesome expression, photographed after dark by Natalie Bonnie Sheppard. Photograph: Natalie Bonnie Sheppard
Another photograph shows a glowing pumpkin after dark, with an unusual expression and a wonderfully gruesome appearance.
The dramatic lighting makes the carved features stand out against the darkness.
A pumpkin with a great big smile
A friendly face for Halloween! One of Natalie Bonnie Sheppard's carved pumpkins lights up the darkness with an enormous glowing smile. Photograph: Natalie Bonnie Sheppard
Not all Halloween creations need to look frightening.
One of Natalie's illuminated pumpkins has a wonderfully cheerful face, complete with bright eyes and a huge curved smile.
This one looks more likely to welcome trick-or-treaters than scare them away!
The cheekiest grin of Halloween
A mischievous, toothy Halloween grin lights up the night in this pumpkin photograph submitted by Natalie Bonnie Sheppard. Photograph: Natalie Bonnie Sheppard
Natalie's final photograph features a wonderfully mischievous jack-o'-lantern, with asymmetrical eyes and a large toothy grin.
Photographed glowing in the darkness, the carving has just the right mixture of fun and fright.
💀 Sean Graham – A seriously spooky creation
A sinister smile for Halloween! Sean Graham's impressive carved pumpkin features dramatic eyes, a jagged grin and a spooky red glow. Photograph: Sean Graham
Sean Graham's pumpkin is a particularly striking example of classic Halloween carving.
With large, sharply angled eyes and an elaborate jagged grin, the design creates a suitably sinister expression.
The red glow inside the pumpkin adds an especially spooky finishing touch, making the carved face stand out beautifully.
It's a fantastic example of how effective a traditional jack-o'-lantern can look with a little imagination and careful carving.
Every contribution deserves celebrating
When we launched the competition, we originally planned to choose three favourites through a community vote and feature those entries on Great Park Gazette.
But looking through the photographs reminded us that there is far more to Halloween than deciding who has made the best pumpkin.
Every submission involved a little imagination, enthusiasm or Halloween humour.
Some residents chose classic scary faces, others went for colourful artwork, while one particularly adorable dog proved that you don't even need a real pumpkin to join in the fun!
With eight photographs shared by five contributors, there was simply too much creativity to leave out of our Halloween feature.
Rather than publish a top-three ranking, we decided that the nicest result would be to give everyone the recognition they deserve.
Congratulations and a huge thank you to Claire Khan, Jules Robinson, Lisa Hogarth, Natalie Bonnie Sheppard and Sean Graham!
Your photographs have helped make Halloween 2026 a little more colourful, spooky and entertaining for the whole Great Park community.
Thank you, Great Park!
Community events like this are a lovely reminder of what makes Newcastle Great Park special.
It doesn't matter whether you're an experienced pumpkin carver, a complete beginner or someone who simply enjoys decorating for the occasion.
It's about getting involved, having a laugh, sharing your creations and making memories.
A special thank you also goes to everyone who enjoyed the photographs, commented on the entries and helped support the competition in the Great Park Residents Group.
We hope the gallery brings a smile to your face this Halloween.
And who knows? Perhaps next year's pumpkin showcase will be even bigger!
Have a happy Halloween!
Whether you're heading out trick-or-treating, welcoming visitors at your door or enjoying a quiet evening with a bowl of sweets, Great Park Gazette wishes everyone across Newcastle Great Park a fantastic Halloween.
You can revisit the original competition announcement here:
Great Park Pumpkin Carving Competition 2026
Happy Halloween, Great Park – and well done to everyone who took part! 🎃👻
Published Saturday 31 October 2026.
All photographs were submitted by residents and are credited individually. The gallery celebrates every contribution rather than declaring ranked competition winners.
