Residents all across Royton are well and truly in the spooky spirit this year as skeletons, spiders, scarecrows, witches and wizards have cropped up all over town.

It's the first time the town is hosting its own scarecrow festival this Halloween and residents have not disappointed with a whopping 79 ghoulish displays to be found.

Maps cost £2 and all the proceeds of which will be going on Christmas gifts for local children and supporting elderly people through the winter months.

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So after we picked ours up from the Co-op, we strapped up our boots and prepared for our first ghost hunt of the year.

We initially got off to a rocky start as we were unable to find the first scarecrow we had set out hearts on.

It was positioned somewhere in Royton Park and after a few laps we realised, Storm Babet had probably had something to do with its disappearance.

However, it wasn't long until we hit the jackpot and seemingly home after home, as well as some businesses, had gone all out to proudly display their masterpieces. 

There is a clear witches and wizards theme this year and one particular home stands out for the serious Harry Potter fans out there what with Dumbledore, Harry, Aragog (the spider), a dementor and Dobby, who appears trapped in an upstairs bedroom, are all in attendance.

There is even a mini whooping willow tree.

'Officer Straw' is also worth an admirable mention as his sense of duty did not waver in the wet and windy weather, warning drivers around the clock about the 30 mph speed limit.

Meanwhile, other homes have gone all out with a display of orange lights, pumpkin carvings, skeletons and cobwebs hanging from the rafters and all over their lawns.

The digital interactive map is definitely a handy addition and all-in-all we had a great time getting our steps in at the festival.

It's a great activity with lots of the weird and wonderful to be found - so don't miss out as it ends on Tuesday, October 31.

If you have a story, I cover all things Oldham from food reviews and local business news to music and events, pubs, education, crime, property, health, community concerns and much more. Please email me at Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk or send me a message on Twitter @Livbridge with your news.