From community garden projects, bake sales and apple festivals to a Halloween celebration with residents, it’s been a busy and vibrant season across PCH. Read on to discover some of the spooktacular activities and community events that took place across Plymouth Community Homes (PCH).
Autumn Activities at the All Ways Apple Festival
Autumn brings an abundance of fruit from local gardens, orchards and edible hedgerows. To celebrate the season, we supported the All Ways Apple Festival at Market Hall in Devonport.
This fantastic community event brought together a range of local organisations and offered something for everyone, including apple pressing, storytelling, local food stalls and much more. PCH was delighted to support the festival through a community grant and attend on the day to engage with residents and partners.
Nicola Street, Senior Communities Worker at PCH, said:
“This was a great event to attend because Devonport is at the heart of one of our communities. As part of the day, we worked with Food Plymouth to promote Growing Resilience activities across the city. This forms part of the work our team is doing to help tackle food insecurity. It was also brilliant to connect with other organisations doing valuable work to help people manage the rising cost of living, promote local food initiatives and share practical cookery skills.”
Scarily Good Bakes for Charity
PCH colleagues Heather and Ray are continuing their mission to support our Charity of the Year. Over the years, the pair have taken on a variety of fundraising challenges, including a charity skydive, and they show no signs of slowing down.
This month, drawing on Ray's skills as a former baker, they hosted a Halloween Bake Sale at PCH, raising an impressive £450 and counting for charity Andys Man Club.
Heather Walker, Environmental Assistant Team Leader at PCH, said:
"We held another bake sale around Wimbledon earlier this year, so this was our second one of 2026, with hopefully more to come. We're always keen to support our charity of the year. Last year, we completed a charity skydive raising over £3k total and there are even talks of taking on a wing walk soon, if we’re brave enough!”
Spooky Celebrations with Zebra Collective
Adding to the spooky itinerary, PCH jointly funded a Boo Bash with Zebra Collective. Held at the Mount Wise Neighbourhood Centre, the event came to life with a range of Halloween-themed activities, from biscuit decorating and crafts to party games and prizes.
The event provided a fantastic opportunity to engage with the local community during the half-term holidays, even if some attendees looked a little scarier than usual!
Joe Loughran, Housing Officer at PCH said:
“This is my third year attending this event, and it seems to get bigger and better every year. It’s great to work with Zebra Collective on events like this, and it’s always lovely to see some familiar faces here at Mount Wise Neighbourhood Centre.”
Green Fingers at Camel’s Head Garden
Sweeping away the cobwebs, PCH volunteers rolled up their sleeves to support the Camel’s Head community gardening project.
Several colleagues used their Make a Difference Day to take part in a seasonal garden refresh, bringing together staff from across different departments for a day of volunteering and teamwork. Their efforts helped maintain and improve the communal garden, creating a more attractive and welcoming outdoor space for residents to enjoy, socialise and connect with their neighbours.
Sharon Heyes, PCH resident said:
“The garden is a great space, if it wasn’t for the group the residents up there would be looking on to a wall, so it does make all the difference. I like to help out, I was here this morning setting up tea and coffee for everyone, it’s been going on for a few years and it’s nice to see different faces involved.
Aside from the garden, we have all sorts happening here as part of the sheltered housing scheme, I organise fish and chip nights, gossip nights and were also doing our own spooky night with our resident DJ, Roy. It’s a great atmosphere.”
Fun and Frights at The Beacon
To round off a spooktacular month, The Beacon hosted its Halloween celebration, bringing together residents for a day packed with games, activities and plenty of seasonal fun. The event was a huge success, with families enjoying the chance to get involved, meet new people and celebrate together in a welcoming community atmosphere.
Emma Coultas, Marketing and Events Officer at PCH said:
"It was brilliant to be part of The Beacon’s Spooky Halloween Party. I had great fun helping to run the sticky spider wall game and getting to meet and chat with local residents. We were really proud of the turnout, especially seeing so many new faces who had never visited The Beacon before"
If you're looking for more events at The Beacon, keep an eye on our What's On calendar, here for the latest.
With thanks to our Communities and Partnerships team, The Beacon team, and all the volunteers who helped make this Halloween season so spooktacular. We'd also like to thank all the residents who joined us along the way.
Stay tuned for more festive activities as Christmas approaches. We can already hear the sleigh bells ringing!
